


Danger

by justsomeitgirl



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Eventual Smut, F/M, I'm So Excited About This, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, soul
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-21
Updated: 2015-12-30
Packaged: 2018-03-18 23:06:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 68,390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3587418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justsomeitgirl/pseuds/justsomeitgirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Oliver is the former playboy, always introspective man whose father died in a boating accident and who would do anything for his younger sister.<br/>At first sight, Felicity is just a girl with the face of an angel, incapable of any harm. However, beneath her smile, she hides darker secrets than she ever wanted to.</p><p>But when they are force to cross paths, what secrets will be unveiled? What if the one person Oliver wants to protect and shield from all the evil in the world, is the breathtaking face of danger itself?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Face Of An Angel

**Author's Note:**

> AU. Some people might consider it a little bit OOC as we move foward.
> 
> I gave it a lot of thought before I finally decided to write and publish this, mainly because this is not the Oliver people are used to and certainly NOT the Felicity people are used to. But since I don't believe stories are meant to be kept and protected in this glass cage where no one can change or mold them, I decided I should just do it. So before you decide not to read any further than this chapter because these are not the characters you are used to, please give it a chance. I promise I will do my best to make sure you won't regret it.
> 
> I will be updating this fic every Saturday around this time (4 pm EST), unless something goes terribly wrong. I'm sorry I can't be more regular but unfortunately my school schedule is too strict and I am not able to write that often.
> 
> I would love for you to tell me what you think about this and if you'd like to read more. I promise I will take your comments in consideration. Also, stalk me on Twitter! I'm at @iness1dir.

It was Christmas time and, as did any other major or minor event at the Queen’s house, that called for a party. So there was one.

Anyone who knew the Queen family, whether it be from an actual proximity or the newspapers, knew their parties were famous for not once being uneventful. Since their father’s death on a terrible boating accident five years ago, the Queen siblings were said to have changed a lot. Thea Queen, the younger sister, had grown quite fond of illegal substances and not-so-legal actions of any sort. Some claimed it was her coping mechanism, that it was perfectly understandable for a teenage girl who had just lost her father and who had never been given a proper education rather than learning right from her birth that money could solve anything. Whatever it was that made her act the way she did, the younger inheritor of one of the most powerful and wealthy families of Starling City was hardly a good portrayal of the Queens.

But it was the older, former playboy and always introspective Oliver Queen that caught everyone’s eye. Never having been seen with a woman for more than a month and with no serious relationships on his record, the 27 year old boy who was forced to grow up a little too fast due to his father’s death was the matter of an incredible amount of articles in several magazines. Some believed that the guilt of not having followed his father on his way to death had eaten him up until there was nothing left but the memory of the boy he used to be. Others vehemently denied such nonsense, declaring the unfortunate event had caused the boy to become more mature and aware of his responsibility to the two still remaining members of his family. Despite all the theories written around him, what no one could disagree on was that Oliver Queen was no longer the reckless, immature boy whose life revolved around parties and one night stands.

However, that didn’t mean he didn’t know how to throw a party; in fact, he was very good at organizing social events. So much so, the Queen parties were the highlight of any special occasion, bringing all sorts of people, especially women, to the absurdly enormous house. But amongst the variety of beautiful women in a little too short dresses and a little too much makeup, there was one Oliver hadn’t been able to take his eyes off for the whole evening.

He first saw her when he was heading towards the bar to get another drink. She walked pass the front door with the elegance of a super model and yet, there was something about her that made her look more like an angel. Maybe it was the way she looked around, trying to familiarize herself with that unknown environment, and how she made him feel like he should protect her from all the evil in the world. Maybe it was her bright blue eyes that shined through the lights and everyone else walking by, or maybe it was her splendorous blonde hair, falling from her head in perfect curls, lighting up the breathtakingly beautiful skin of her face, the first he had seen that night that was not covered in makeup. Or it could be the golden, shiny dress that fitted her perfectly, showing the skin of her neck and arms, made pallid by the glaring lights.

Whatever it was, something about her just felt right. She was the kind of girl who didn’t turn heads when she walked in, who felt like maybe she should’ve dressed up a little better, and yet she turned _his_ head. And he knew he could just stare at her forever.

Seconds later, she disappeared in the crowd. He looked for her amongst the men in neat, white shirts and the women in all sorts of colored dresses, but nothing. He finally gave up, resuming his walk towards the bar.

The second time they crossed paths he was leaning against a wall and a sudden glimpse of her made him abandon his ramblings and focus on the blonde. She was in the dance floor, and even though the music was very loud and the DJ was the best in town, she didn’t seem that excited. She was casually moving her feet while taking sips at some drink which he wasn’t sure to be alcoholic, and yet he found that simple, ordinary attitude, as if this was just another day and just another club, fascinating.

He was so focused on her he didn’t even notice Tommy had been standing right beside him, trying to figure out where his gaze was locked.

“I wouldn’t do that, if I were you”, he yelled so that Oliver could hear him.

“You know her?”, he replied, ignoring his comment and not taking his eyes off of her, afraid she might run away.

“Felicity Smoak. She used to work for your father before…” His voice faded away.

“Why doesn’t she work there anymore?”

“No idea.”

They kept silent for a moment, both staring at the girl moving quietly between the crowd as if she didn’t even notice where she was. A few moments after, Tommy faced him with a look that was both serious and playful, “Stay away from that one, Ollie. She’s danger.”

But before he could ask him what he meant, Tommy walked away to greet a girl who had just walked in and Oliver was left alone, wondering how could a girl with the face of an angel ever be dangerous.

He decided he should check in on his little sister, see if she hadn’t done anything bad so far. He loved Thea more than anyone else in the world and would be willing to do anything for her, but watching her go down that path, watching his baby sister turning into some addict because he hadn’t been there for her like he should’ve, broke his heart. He searched the whole room for her, but no sign of the tiny girl whose body he could shield so easily between his arms. Maybe upstairs. But Thea wasn’t there either. Someone else was.

“Felicity Smoak?”, her head turned quickly at the sound of his voice. “Hi, I’m Oliver Queen.”

She was leaning on the balcony, her gaze lost somewhere around the room, her hands together and her elbows on the cold stone. He joined her.

“I know who you are, I- Oh, am I not supposed to be here? I’m so sorry, I just needed to get some air, it’s a little crowed downstairs. Not that I’m saying you have a small house, you obviously don’t-”

“Hey”, he lowered his voice with a grin and she immediately shut up. She was cute. He wanted to go near her but he knew that would probably intimidate her, so he didn’t. “It’s okay, you can be here.”

She took a deep breath. “What about you? Needed some fresh air as well?”

“I’m looking for my sister.”

“Oh, right. Are you worried about her? Because it’s a party and everything… Not that I want to, you know, intrude in your family’s business.” He looked at her inquisitively, wondering how she knew about Thea’s problem. “I read the newspaper.”

“Oh,” he made a brief pause, turning to give a quick glance at the people downstairs. “Yes, I am. She’s a little too young for these things”, he answered, his eyes facing her once more. “I haven’t seen you here before.”

“That’s because I don’t come here often. This?”, she made a broad gesture that covered everything around her, “Not really my style.”

“Then why did you come?”

“I’m not sure, actually. Maybe I just needed something different in my life…”, she sighed.

“Is everything okay?”

“Yes, everything’s fine”, she smiled at him and for a moment, he felt at home, like he hadn’t for a really long time. “Unless you’re going to attack me or anything.”

He stared at her in confusion, “What?”

“Because of the whole psychological trauma thing?”, he didn’t seem any less enlightened. “You don’t read the articles they write about you?” He nodded, but his features softened as he realized she was kidding. “Bad joke, sorry.”

“Actually, some people might say _you_ are the one who’s dangerous”, he teased, remembering Tommy’s earlier comment. He thought he saw a flicker of fear in her eyes as he said that, but as quickly as it came, it vanished and she had a lovely grin on her lips again, her dazzling blue eyes catching his.

“You’d have to find out”, and her smirk widened as she took a step closer to him in a swaying walk.

“Is that your way of asking me out?”, he teased again, not being able to help the smile that was gaining form on his lips.

“No. But if it works for you, go with it.”

“And if I wanted to?… Ask you out, I mean?”

Her phone must have vibrated inside her purse, because she rushed to grab it and quickly peeked at the screen: whatever it was, it was enough for her to start walking towards the stairs a little too fast. Before disappearing in the dark, Felicity turned around and gave him a little grin. “You’re Oliver Queen. I’m sure you can work that out.”

Already outside, she struggled with her umbrella. It was windy, the rain wouldn’t stop falling and there was this feeling of guilt she just couldn’t shake, more intense than she’d ever felt before. She stood on the sidewalk, a few yards away from the Queen’s house, and wondered if there really was no other way. If there was really nothing she could do to stop it, to stop _her_.

The car parked in front of her and she got in without a second thought, taking off her soaking wet coat. Seconds later, the vehicle was gone, and so was Felicity Smoak. All that was left of that night was Oliver’s memory and a brief text message showing up in a wide screen some miles from there.

_I got him. -F_


	2. Soul-Taker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver is finally happy. But what happens when that happiness is taken away from him in a blink and he is now faced with a terrible choice: to kill his sister or watch as one of the masked men does?
> 
> Will Felicity be the one saving him, or will she take his soul away?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope you enjoy this, because I did my best to match your expectations and I am really excited about this story.
> 
> English is not my first language, so please forgive me for any mistakes.

_There’s only one thing worse than taking someone’s life. Taking their soul._

There are some people in this world whose light and purity remains intact, no matter what they’ve been through. Oliver Queen is one of them. And then, there are the ones whose souls are already too darkened to save.

* * *

 

She ran the brush through her hair softly. Quietly, methodically. Straw by straw. It seemed to calm her when troubled times were near, and they were. She could feel them, so close, an inch away, waiting to be reached. The woman in the mirror seemed more of a weapon than a human being and the little innocent girl it once showed her was too far gone. With her golden hair perfectly straightened and two hair tresses brought together to form a braid on the back of her head, her lethal blue eyes with long eyelashes and her beautifully carved lips, she had something of an angel. The wavy light-blue dress stressed her breasts and hips, showing just the right amount of skin. She had learned to mold her body according to her needs when she was still a child, so much so she couldn’t find herself beautiful anymore. All she could see when she looked in the mirror was destruction covered by the face of an angel.

“It’s your greatest weapon”, her father used to tell her when she was only fourteen. She was too young to understand what he meant then, but she did now. She could get anyone to do anything by putting on the right dress and fixing her hair the right way. And that was good, wasn’t it? It had been useful so far. Then why couldn’t she help but feel like a monster was staring at her, trapped inside that glass surface?

A firm knock on the door awoke her, “Yes?”

“Your father is ready to see you”, a man’s voice announced from the other side of the door.

“Tell him I’ll be right there.”

She left her room short after. For any other person, it would’ve been nearly impossible to find that small room, hiding behind a fake stone wall. But she wasn’t just _any_ person. She knew the place like the back of her hand and while it would appear as terrifying for most people, it had a sense of comfort for her, of familiarity. She felt safe there, because it was home. _Her_ home. She had been raised there and properly trained to know every inch of it by the time she was 5.

“Father?”

He turned around, his severe posture filling the room. “Good, you’re ready. Do you remember what you have to do?”

She took a deep breath, staring right at him with an inner strength that secretly made him uncomfortable “Yes.”

“I want no slips with this one, Felicity. He’s important.”

“When have I ever failed you?”, she asked promptly with such sorrow in her voice he felt the need to comfort her. Not because she was her daughter, but because she was precious. She was the most lethal weapon in his army, but just as she was powerful, she was unstable.

From the day he first held her as a baby, her bright blue eyes staring at him, he knew she didn’t belong there. That was no place for angels. Therefore, he had moved Heaven and Earth to change her: he had taught her how to fight, how to use people to get what she wanted, how to adapt to the situation and how to never be weak. And she was good at it, but that flame, that sparkle ignited in her eyes, it never went away. Not until he took everything from her.

“Never, my darling. You have never failed me. But I worry about you, Felicity”, he rested his hand on her shoulder, pulling her towards him. “You’re all I have left.”

“No, I’m not”, she backed away. “You have a whole army at your service. And that probably matters more to you than your own daughter anyway.”

“An army we built! Together. You can deny it all you want, but you’re tied to this. To me.”

“The only reason why I’m tied to you is because you’re my own blood.”

“Then why haven’t you quit?”

“Because you took my soul away. I don’t have anywhere else to go”, she let out, her voice raspy with anger as she turned around and headed towards the big wooden door.

“You are like me, my dear, like it or not. That’s what your last name means. Felicity Al Ghul”, she heard him say before the door closed with a bang.

* * *

 

“So you have a date, hun?”, she joked, grabbing his wide shoulders.

“What makes you think that?”

“You’re wearing a tux, Ollie. You don’t put on a tux before dinner unless you’re going out with someone important”, she laughed, “I just hope it’s not Tommy.”

He gave her a grin while adjusting his bow tie. It was someone important indeed. And it was certainly _not_ Tommy.

“Who is she?”, she insisted.

“What makes you think there’s a woman involved? I could be going to a business meeting.”

“Oh cut the crap, Ollie. I know you. You couldn’t care less about business meetings.”

He laughed and looked away from the mirror, to his little sister standing beside him, the same smile that had filled him with joy since the day she was born. “You’re right. It is a woman.”

“So… Who is she?”

“Felicity Smoak. Tommy told me she used to work at Queen Consolidated.”

“Never seen her before. Why did she quit anyway?”

“No idea.”

She seemed apprehensive.

“What?”

“Nothing”, Thea replied with a faded smile.

“Speedy, c’mon. I know you better than that. What’s wrong?”

“I just- Are you sure she’s the right girl for you, Ollie?”

“Well, it’s not like I’m going to propose to her”, he reassured her, giving her a wink and pulling his little sister to him. “It’s just a dinner.”

She wrapped her tiny arms around him, “I just don’t want you to get hurt. You’ve been through so much already.”

“Hey, it’s okay. Nothing’s going to happen to me. I’ll be home in a couple hours and you won’t even notice I left, alright?”

“Fine. Go get her, then! What are you waiting for?”, she teased him with a smile. He planted a soft kiss on her forehead before grabbing the doorknob and stepping outside.

“I love you, Speedy.”

“And I love you, Ollie.”

* * *

 

She was already there when he arrived to the restaurant. It was a quiet, modest establishment in The Glades, known for its exquisite and very expensive dishes. He checked his watch nervously to see if he was late, but he wasn’t. In fact, he was 5 minutes early.

He approached the table and the vision of her dazzled him. She was absolutely stunning. Felicity got up and leaned towards him, placing a sweet kiss on his cheek before going back to her seat.

“You’re early”, he commented.

“So are you”, she stated with a tender smile.

“Guess I was anxious to see you again. It’s been almost a month since we first met.” She didn’t say a word and he immediately reprimanded himself silently in every way he could think of. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to sound-”

“No, I’m the one who’s sorry”, she interrupted. “I’ve just been really busy with work and everything. Not _everything_ , just work really. And not that I’m a workaholic either, I just-”, she rolled her eyes and smiled in embarrassment. “I’m going to stop talking right now.”

He tilted his head with a grin, mesmerized at the woman sitting in front of him. He had missed her. From the day they had met, he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her. Not like every other girl he had ever been with. He didn’t just want to take her to bed and not talk to her ever again. This time was different. This time he wanted to know her, to take her to the movies, to meet her family, for her to meet his.

And so he had looked for her. First, in the Queen Consolidated database, then amongst his friends, and even in the city records. But he had found nothing, absolutely _nothing_. It was like she didn’t even exist. So when Tommy showed up at the Queen Mansion one day claiming to have found her phone number, he didn’t believe it. But he had, and now they were sitting at a table having dinner together because of that.

“So are you working for the competition now?” She seemed a little confused. “Because a friend of mine told me you used to work at QC.”

“Oh, right. Well, I’m afraid if I tell you, you might use me to get information”, she teased with a smirk on her lips.

“I’m willing to risk it if you are.”

“What is this game you’re playing, Mr. Queen? Approaching me on parties, taking me to fancy restaurants… Should I be worried?”, she joked, and he laughed. Because he was happy, because she made him happy, because he suddenly realized there was no other place he’d rather be.

“I would never hurt you.”

“I know”, she sighed. That’s what made it all so hard.

The waiter came. They ordered and Oliver asked for a bottle of their finest wine.

“Please, tell me more about you.”

“Well…", she seemed to give the question a lot of thought. “I’m 23, I have a troubled family and a job, which I’m very good at, actually”, she laughed, “And that is probably the lamest introduction a woman has ever given you.”

“Believe me, it’s not. So… Troubled family?”

“You know, the usual. My mother left when I was very young and my father… he’s kind of a hard person to be around.”

“I’m sorry for your mother.”

“It’s okay. She is probably better off without us.” Felicity wiggled uncomfortably in her chair. “Everyone in my life ends up leaving anyway”, she whispered, lowering her head.

He grabbed her hand, causing her to face him. “Hey. I’m not going anywhere.”

He took a sip of the wine, letting the taste spread in his mouth. Suddenly, he realized she was nothing of an angel. She was troubled, tortured, her heart touched by darkness. And yet, that flame in her eyes was still burning despite everything she’d been through.

“Oliver? Oliver, are you okay?”

He noticed his hands weren’t moving. Neither were his arms or his legs. But did any of that matter? He knew he loved her now. No second thoughts, no turning back. She needed someone who would be there for her always, and he would be that person. The one who would never leave her.

“Oliver!?”, he heard her call in the distance. He smiled. His eyes slowly closed and the last thing he saw was her beautiful angel face.

Then, there was nothing but dark. A peaceful, comforting, total darkness.

* * *

His eyes blinked repeatedly, adapting to the dark. He couldn’t see anything, but the place felt humid and he quickly realized his hands and feet were tied up with rope. His mouth was covered with scotch tape but he didn’t feel strong enough to talk anyway. He wanted to move, but he couldn’t. His whole body was still asleep and he wasn’t thinking clearly yet. There was only one thing on his mind.

_ Felicity. _

Gathering all the strength he could find, he wiggled his body, letting out a groan as he felt his entire body falling on his arm. He started to scrape the rope against the unpolished wooden wall, grunting as he felt the skin of his wrist get ripped off. After a while, the rope was weak enough for him to break it with a slight move of his hands. With his body still numb, he struggled with the string tying his feet.

The tape was easier to rip off, but where there used to be a feeling of dormancy, there was now excruciating pain, spreading through every muscle, every bone, every vein of his body. He screamed, unable to handle it, but the thought of how Felicity would be feeling made him get up at cost and run his trembling hands through the walls until he found a light switch and turned it on.

The room was small, with no windows and a door that appeared to be locked. With the floor, walls and ceiling all made of wood, it would be completely empty if it wasn’t for the chair placed in a corner where a piece of paper rested.

“ _Good night, Mr. Queen. You must be wondering where you are and what is that pain you’re feeling. I promise you all your questions shall be answered, but for now, you should rest. You’ve done enough for the night._ ”

Filled with rage, Oliver tore the letter apart and smacked his head against the wall, deepening the pain. With all the thoughts running through his mind, he felt empty. And for the first time in a long time, he felt scared. Not for him, but for his loved ones. Moira, Thea, Tommy, Felicity… Whoever this was, he was coming for them. All of them.

He couldn’t be sure of the exact moment he had fallen asleep. He had sworn to stay awake all night, but the pain, the diminished strength and the feeling of impotence had taken the best of him. The pain seemed to have ceased, but for some illogical reason, he was afraid it would come back if he moved even the slightest bit. And so he stood there, his head against the cold wood, his weakened and tired body lying on the floor, waiting. Waiting for something he didn’t really know what was. Waiting for someone to rescue him. Waiting for hope to come. Waiting, waiting, waiting.

Until he didn’t have to wait any longer. A man in a brown outfit, whose face was covered with a mask of the same color, opened the door and entered the room, standing a few feet away from him.

“Stand up.”

Oliver remained quiet, staring at the other man’s eyes in some act of bravery he didn’t even know where was coming from.

“Stand up”, the man repeated, his voice increasing in intensity, “Or you won’t get to say goodbye to your sister.”

A wave of panic rushed through his every vein and he stood up more quickly than he thought he could, walking towards the masked man with strong steps. “Don’t you dare threaten my sister”, he whispered face to face with him, his voice so low, so severe it would’ve scared anyone. But not him. No, the man seemed to find some kind of twisted amusement in his statement.

“I don’t think you have any idea of what we're capable of, Mr. Queen. And unless you want my men to start showing your sister just that, I suggest you follow me.”

He covered Oliver’s eyes with a dark band and tied his hands with rope once more. The feeling of the rugged surface against his still open cuts was enough to send a shiver down his spine and he tried his best not to make a sound.

Oliver breathed in the cold, moist air as they walked towards a car. The pavement was wet and the grip in his arm was getting stronger by the minute, to keep him from getting out of the way. He felt as another pair of hands helped the first to lie him down in the back of the car and as soon as he heard the doors close, the car drove away at high speed.

When it stopped, he was taken to a helicopter. At that point, Oliver quitted trying to understand what was happening. It was all too much. First the wooden room, then the masked man, now a helicopter? What kind of sick game was this? He was tired, his body was aching and he was starving, but neither of those were enough to make him beg the men for any food or relief. All he could think about was Thea. And Felicity. Where would they be? Would they be okay? And it was all his fault. The guilt was eating him away slowly and he could feel the pain making his way back to him once more.

After a while spent wondering around cold, stone passages, he was left in a room with a dirty soil, his hands stripped off of the rope, only to be tied once more, this time by powerful chains. The cold of the metal eased the pain, but made it impossible to even try to escape. His body was trembling from cold and hunger, his head too confused to even process what was happening. Except for one thing. That voice.

“Ollie!”, she cried out, and he immediately tried to stand up, falling to the ground with a brief groan that echoed through the walls.

One of the men took the band that had been covering his eyes, but in that moment he wished he hadn’t. Thea was covered in dirt from being dragged in the ground, her skin full of bruises and small cuts, the despair in her face making his heart ache more than any pain he had experienced. He wanted to reach her, but he couldn’t. She was being held by two men in the exact same mask as the one who had brought him there and she had no strength to even try to get free. All he could do was tell her everything would be alright, even though he had no way of knowing that.

Another person walked in the room. This one wasn’t wearing the same mask as any of the others, and they seemed to respect him, whoever he was. His body was covered in a dark mantle and his face hiding behind a black hood. Suddenly, he dropped a gun and kicked it. The weapon slid right towards Oliver, and it was just a few inches away. Surprisingly, none of the men moved, not even slightly. Thea stopped screaming, her eyes focused on the gun at his brother’s knees.

“Here’s the deal, Mr. Queen,”, the figure announced, and even though the voice was clearly changed, there was something familiar about it. Like he had heard it before. “The gun is loaded with a single bullet. You can either kill one of us, or your sister. But know that whoever you kill, she will die anyway. The question is: are you willing to end your sister’s misery?”

It was dead silent for a moment. Oliver reached out for the gun and picked it up slowly, his eyes never leaving Thea’s. “Don’t worry, Speedy. It’ll be alright, I promise.” She nodded her head, tears rushing down her face uncontrollably.

He turned to the dark figure, “What kind of twisted game is this!?”

“Oh, this is not a game. This is our offer.”

“Your _offer_? Are you offering me the chance to kill my own sister!?”

“No. We are offering you a place in our organization.”

“And why the hell would I be interested in joining you?”

“You’re already a murdered, Mr. Queen. It’s in your eyes. That flicker of darkness that never goes away no matter how hard you try to shake it. We’re offering you the opportunity to fulfil your destiny.”

“You’re insane”, Oliver replied, the anger and panic in his voice hiding behind the gun, now pointed at the dark silhouette.

“Go ahead. Do what you want to do. End this.”

“I don’t want to do anything!”, he cried, his voice breaking, the gun falling off his hand. “Just let her go. I’ll do whatever you want.”

“It doesn’t work that way, Mr. Queen. To be a part of the League, you must lose your soul. And one only loses his soul when everything has been taken from him.”

“Why are you doing this?”

“We want you.”

“Ollie, it’s okay. You can do it”, Thea whispered, her lower lip tremoring from crying in silent for too long.

“Thea, I won’t kill you. Nothing is going to happen to you.”

“They’re not letting us out of here, Ollie. Not both of us.”

Oliver shifted his glance to whoever it was beneath that cape. “I am not killing my sister. Or any of you.”

“Is that your final decision?”

He stood in silent, staring at those bright blue eyes. Seconds after, he felt a needle sticking on his neck, and after that, all he could hear was Thea crying out his name in the distance. And he wanted to comfort her, to tell her not to be afraid, but he couldn’t. The darkness had settled once more.

* * *

She dialed the number and waited for an answer. He answered the phone right after the second ring.

“Is the girl still alive?”

“Yes.”

“I want you to take her somewhere no one can ever find her. Make sure she is fed and well treated.”

“Consider it done.”

“And Maseo?”

“Yes?”

“No one can know about this. Especially not my father or Mr. Queen. To the rest of the world, Thea Queen is dead.”

She hung up the phone and exited the bathroom. Oliver was still asleep in his bed back in Starling City, and she lied next to him, pulling the sheet so it could cover the both of them. She ran a hand through his hair, admiring his body, his face, _him_.

“I’m sorry, Oliver, I really am. I didn’t want to do this to you”, she whispered, her voice not being able to keep still and unemotional anymore. “But that dark mantle, _this_ … This is what I am. A soul-taker. Someone took my soul a long time ago too, you know? And I could lie to you and tell you it gets better, but it never does. You just learn to bear the pain and fake a smile.”

She place her hand on his cheek, softly, scared she would wake him even though the poison would only be gone a few hours later. “But I never had someone to share that pain with, and you do. You have me. You will always have me, Oliver.”

Felicity got up silently, covering his body with the sheet one more time. “I promise.”

Seconds later, the front door of the Queen Mansion closed behind her. And Oliver opened his eyes.

* * *

 


	3. Pick Up The Pieces

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thea Queen is dead. As Oliver struggles with the agonizing pain and guilt he can't shake, his mother introduces him his new bodyguard, Mr. Diggle. But there is a lot more to him than meets the eye. As Thea breaks somewhere very far away and reaches out for the one who looks after her and Felicity starts to question her own actions, will Oliver be able to pick up the pieces and keep on walking?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AU. Slightly OOC.
> 
> I decided to introduce some very well known characters because otherwise this story would be incomplete, but be aware, because all of them hide secrets and most people are not who they seem to be.
> 
> Please, if you're reading, I would love for you to give me feedback. What you like, what you don't, anything really. I'm writing this for you guys, so your opinion matters the world to me.
> 
> I apologize for any mistakes since English is not my first language.

“Oliver! You’re finally awake,” she let out with a sight, her voice cracking, her arms immediately pulling him towards her, comforting him, making him feel safe.

“I’m fine, mom,” he whispered into her ear. Moira Queen could have made a lot of mistakes throughout her life, but if there was one thing no one could ever blame her for, was caring for her children. She would always protect them. Even if it meant losing her own life.

“No, you are not. You were kidnapped, Oliver, you are far from _fine_.”

“You don’t have to worry about me.”

She cupped his face in her hands, her tender eyes facing his, acknowledging that tiny, almost imperceptible, spark of darkness and despair. He was there, she could feel her son’s skin against hers, see his face, and yet he was looking through her, so far apart, so lost somewhere dark and cold. And she wanted to rescue him, but she couldn’t. “Oliver, you are my son. There was not a single moment in my life since you were born that I spent not worrying about you.”

He stepped away and took a seat in the lounge placed in front of the coffee table, his eyes lost, staring at the void. She was trying to reach him and he wouldn’t reach back. He kept silent for a moment, the images from the previous day filling his mind, the happiness he had once felt seemed like a lifetime ago. Finally, he was able to put it in words, “Have you heard from Thea?” Just saying her name made him want to throw up, to scream, to cry, not even he was sure what to do. Instead, he faked a smile and turned to face their mother.

“She texted me yesterday, said she was going to stay at a friend’s house for the night. You know Thea, she always prefers sleeping elsewhere, preferentially away from family,” and he lowered his head, his eyes begging him to feel, to share, to shed a tear, anything. She deserved to know, and he deserved to tell someone.

It wasn’t Thea’s death that hurt the most. What was killing him, eating him away, was the fact that he could have saved her, and he didn’t. He could have protected her, but he was too naive, too afraid, too _weak_. And now his sister was dead. _Dead_. He felt like getting up and screaming it to the world. _Thea is dead and it was all my fault!_ , he would say. _And as selfish as that might be, I want to die as well. I want to join her. I want to tell her I’m sorry. I’m sorry I couldn’t save you, Speedy. It was all my fault. And I’m so sorry._

Moira rested her arm on his shoulder and that woke him from the tormented thoughts, “Oliver! You’re not worried about her, are you?” No answer. “Oh, my silly boy. Thea is fine, you don’t have to worry about her!”

“Yes, you’re probably right,” he managed to say before his voice betrayed him.

“Besides, she has you as a brother. And I am sure you would never let anything happen to her,” she told him as she ran her hand through his hair, and with his head down, so no one could see, Oliver shed a tear.

They stayed like that for a while, mother and son, light and dark, pure and tortured. Her hand still in his hair, his body searching for comfort in her lap just like it used to do when he was little. And then the doorbell broke the silence.

“Wonderful, he’s here,” she smiled, and Oliver didn’t even have the time to ask _who_ was here, as she immediately stood up and walked towards the front door. He heard voices, two people greeting each other, and he realized it was a man’s voice. He didn’t know how to feel about it. In fact, he didn’t know how to feel about anything. His heart was numb and his body was still aching from whatever poison he had been injected with. He had been through excruciating pain the entire night, but he had embraced it. He had begged for it to come. He deserved it.

His mother came back and she brought the guest with her. He was a black man, a little older than Oliver perhaps, big shoulders and even bigger arms. He was wearing a grey suit that seemed a little too tight and had a faded smile on his lips when his eyes first met Oliver’s.

“This is Mr. John Diggle,” Moira introduced, “He will be your bodyguard.”

Oliver shook his head in confusion. _A bodyguard?_ Suddenly he realized those people, whoever they were, would come back for him once more. He wouldn’t be much of a bodyguard, no matter how strong he might be. He would be a burden. Another one whose blood would taint his hands with invisible stains that wouldn’t go away even if he spent the whole night washing them. “I don’t need a bodyguard,” he replied with a grin, and his eyes faced Mr. Diggle’s, “I can take care of myself.”

“Oliver, you were kidnapped. Obviously you need someone to protect you.”

“Mom, they were looking for money, that’s all. I was just means to an end.”

“Whatever they were after, I don’t want you going through this ever again. I’m not taking chances.”

His eyes examined the man and he stared right back at him. “I have a very good training, Mr. Queen. You won’t even notice I’m there,” he finally said, and while Moira seemed delighted to hear that, Oliver wasn’t. But he was in no place to argue, and quite frankly, he didn’t even feel strong enough to. So he mumbled an almost inaudible “Fine” and left the room.

“You have to forgive my son. He has been through a lot.”

“Don’t worry, Mrs. Queen. I can assure you nothing bad is going to happen to him.”

Back in his bedroom, Oliver laid down and stared at the ceiling for what seemed like forever, listening to the strong steps moving closer and closer, until they ceased right in front of the door.

“I highly doubt anyone will try to hurt me in here, Mr. Diggle,” he yelled from the bed so that the man could hear him, “And I’m not planning on throwing myself off the window just yet, so you don’t really have to be here.”

“You can call me Diggle,” the man answered, and Oliver sensed he was smiling through the door, “And whether you like it or not, I’m not leaving that easily, Mr. Queen.”

“Fair enough,” and he smiled as well, genuinely, for the first time since it had happened. It was a painful remember of happiness, just lurking right behind the door, mocking him, lying in bed, haunted by the secrets he was being forced to keep, the face of a terrified Thea never leaving his sight, keeping him from closing his eyes, from moving, from breathing.

_“Ollie, it’s okay. You can do it.”_

_“Thea, I won’t kill you. Nothing is going to happen to you.”_

_“They’re not letting us out of here, Ollie. Not both of us.”_

And he realized the last thing he had said to her was a lie. He had promised her nothing bad would ever happen to her. He had promised to look after her ever since they were both kids and she hurt her knee while playing hide and seek.

_“It hurts, Ollie! It hurts really bad!”_

_“Don’t worry, Speedy, I’m here. I’m not letting anything bad happen to you. I promise.”_

“Diggle?”

“Yes?”

“You can come in, if you want to.”

He closed the door behind him and sat at the bottom of the bed. He didn’t feel the need to say anything, and neither did Oliver, so they both stared at the ceiling, silently, just seeking out each other’s company instead of their own, until one of them felt like talking.

“You think I’m just some spoiled rich boy, don’t you?”, it was Oliver who talked, his eyes still glued to the ceiling.

Diggle didn’t move either, “I’m not allowed to give any personal opinions about my clients, Mr. Queen.”

“You can call me Oliver. And technically, I’m not your client. My mother is.”

The other man smiled and nodded his head slightly, “I think you’re used to getting things your way. It’s not your fault, it’s how you were raised. But I also think there’s more to you than meets the eye.”

“What do you mean?”

This time, Diggle turned to face him, his gaze both serious and somehow reassuring, “I’ve been to war, Oliver. And I’ve learned to recognize despair in other men’s eyes when I see it. You’re lost, and you’re trying to reach out for help, but your self hate is preventing you from doing it,” he paused, and then gave Oliver a faded smile. “Or I may be just talking nonsense here.”

The doorbell again. The one day he wanted to be left alone, everyone just decided to check in on him. As if he was the one in pain, not Thea. Not Thea, who had vanished to sleep at some friend’s house and never came back. No, not her, never her. Because no one knew. No one knew, except for him.

He heard as his mother climbed the stairs and knocked on his door, opening it just enough for her face to show up. She seemed happy to see Diggle inside the room, but decided not to say anything about it, “There’s a girl downstairs to see you. She says her name is Felicity.”

The name hit him like a bullet. He hadn’t seen her since… Would she be okay?

“I’ll be right there,” he voiced, not really sure what to say. A minute later, he was at the bottom of the stairs, his eyes stuck on the blonde sat in his couch. She was dazzling, as always, and he noticed her posture was absurdly perfect.  She was sitting straight, her shoulders tense and legs together in a precise angle with her stomach. Everything about her was utterly precise, like a sharpened knife. He shook his head to keep himself from thinking, because _she_ was there. With firm steps, he walked in and she immediately turned around at the sound of his voice.

“Oliver!”, she yelled, her eyes in tears, running towards him. The impact forced him to take a step back and his arms almost instinctively wrapped her tiny body, her head resting on his chest.

“I’m fine, everything’s fine.”

She still didn’t want to let go, and neither did he. For some reason, one that he didn’t even want to understand, her fragile arms around him, her body against his, the smell of her hair, everything about her felt peaceful. When she was in his arms, the world was better. There was no Thea, no pain, no guilt, just… _her_. And then she finally let go, and the crushing agony came.

“I’m sorry I didn’t come by sooner, I-”

“It’s okay. Did they…?”

“No, they didn’t do anything to me. A few seconds after you blacked-out, I started feeling the same. My body wouldn’t move, my eyes closed and next thing I knew I was lying in my bed, and this… This _pain_ came and it hurt, it hurt so bad.”

He placed a hand on her shoulder and she stopped talking, her bright blue eyes lost in his, “It’s gone now. I won’t let anyone hurt you again, _I promise_.”

“What did they do to you?”, she asked, her voice filled with an irrational anger and a flicker of fear in her eyes.

“All they wanted was money. They tried to make me tell them where my father kept his money before he died for a whole day, and when I didn’t, they brought me home.”

“Are you sure there was nothing else to it?”

“Absolutely,” he sighed.  “I’m really sorry you had to go through this because of me.”

“Oliver…”, her hand met his face and she smiled at him. The peace, the relief, came once more. “It’s not your fault.”

For a second, she broke his walls. She got inside him, deep within his soul, and her words were printed in his mind. Wasn’t it? He had been the one who was too blind to see what had been right in front of him the whole time. He had been the one who missed the danger. And now his sister was dead, because of him. The walls went back up. He pulled away, turning his back on her.

“There’s something else, isn’t there?”

He didn’t answer.

“If you don’t want to tell me, Oliver, that’s fine. It’s your secret to tell. But please, don’t lie to me. Not you.”

“Nothing’s wrong,” he whispered, his eyes meeting hers once more, “I’m just tired.”

Felicity nodded her head with a smile of disappointment. She wanted to talk, to beg him to tell her, to find comfort, to open up. But she knew it wasn’t wise and her phone started ringing in that exact moment, so she stepped away instead, leaving him alone, the void inside him, that little piece she had taken from him, consuming his thoughts, driving him lost.

She made sure no one was listening to her before answering it, “We don’t have to worry. He doesn’t know anything.”

“Is he not even suspicious?”

She took a deep breath before talking, “He’s too broken.”

“You did the right thing.”

“Did I? Have I been doing the right thing this whole time, Maseo? For six years?”

“You are your father’s daughter. And family is a powerful thing.”

“He is not family.”

She paused and all she could hear was Maseo’s breath on the line. Firm, regular, like nothing could ever disturb the fragile inner peace he had learned to reach throughout the years. “You can proceed with the plan,” she ordered before hanging up.

She hadn’t lied, everything was indeed going according to the plan and there were no apparent reasons to be alarmed. However, this one thing was bugging her. Oliver hadn’t even _mentioned_ Thea, and yet she could see in his eyes how broken he was. From her experience, men like him were very good at keeping secrets, but they also never let their pain show. And even though he didn’t say a word about her, he allowed her to see the pain, the agony, the despair. It was like Thea didn’t have to be mentioned, because she already knew. And he did too.

“Is everything alright?”, Oliver asked from the couch when he heard her approach him.

“Yes, everything is fine. It was my father, he needs me… Family business.” She glanced at him, sat there, his sculptural body right in front of her and all she could think of was the ten different kinds of pain she had put him through. She suddenly wished she could turn back time and make things different, “But I can stay, if you want me to.”

Wishing she was someone else.

 “I don’t want to keep you here. You can go, we’ll talk later.”

Wishing she hadn’t met him.

“Sure. See you soon.”

Wishing she could take away his pain.

“Bye.”

_Wishing, wishing, wishing._

* * *

 

Thea Queen could have been a spoiled young girl before, but now, lying on that mattress with bruises all over her body and her eyes dry from crying all night, she was nothing but a lost girl.

She had gotten there in the middle of the night, half asleep from whatever tranquilizer they had injected her with. After her brother fell at her feet, she couldn’t stop screaming. She didn’t know what to do, what to think, how to feel. Would he be dead? A few moments after, some liquid was forced into her bloodstream. She feared they were doing to her what they had done to her brother, but quickly realized it wasn’t the same. That didn’t make her lose her senses or close her eyes. It made her weak. She couldn’t move her body, she couldn’t scream anymore, her eyes wouldn’t close but she couldn’t see anything clearly. But those men, they were cruel. They put her body at ease, not her mind. The image of her brother dying for her ran through her mind over and over again, and she wanted to cry, but she wasn’t strong enough. She wanted to set free and look for him, tell him she wouldn’t let them hurt him, just like he had promised her when they were younger. But they wouldn’t let her.

She was taken to the presence of a man in a mantle. Next to him, there was a blond girl, one who couldn’t be much older than her. He said something, she couldn’t hear him, she couldn’t answer. Then he spoke again, but this time she didn’t have to answer. He must have ordered one of his men to take her, because a few moments later she was back in a cell. Nothing about that made any sense to her. Why would these men want anything to do with her brother? Oliver could be a little grey and introspective, but he wasn’t a _killer_. His heart was too pure. And now she didn’t even know if he was dead, and even if he wasn’t, she would be soon. She knew he would live with that guilt for the rest of his life and she wanted to tell him it was fine, she didn’t mind, she still loved him. She wished she could hug him one more time and whisper in his ear, _“It’s okay, Ollie. I’m right here. No one is ever going to take me from you.”_

She spent the next few hours on the ground, her body covered in dust and dirt, everything hurt and yet she felt numb. Until one man appeared. He whispered something in her ear, but she couldn’t be sure what it was. “Don’t be afraid, I’m not here to hurt you,” he repeated a little bit louder, and she believed him, in part because she had no other choice, but also because she felt like she could trust him. She wanted to ask him about Oliver, how he was, beg him to tell her brother not to blame himself. All she could mumble was his name.

“Oliver is fine,” he told her, and even though every muscle in her body was sore, she smiled. He would be fine. Then, the Chinese man with the ponytail ran a sword through her.

When she woke up, she was in the same bed she hadn’t been able to leave until then, in a cold room filled with darkness. Thea ran her fingertips through her stomach, only to find it covered with bandages. When she tried to move, the pain was so deep it made her want to throw up. And so she cried. Because she was hurt, because she couldn’t get up and find her brother, because she felt weak, unprotected, fragile. Because the man she had trusted had betrayed her.

She heard a door open and desperately wished she could run away. The steps kept getting louder until someone opened the door to the room, and the light momentarily blinded her. When she was finally able to open her eyes, she saw another man in a mask. She sighted. Did that nightmare have no end? But he wasn’t grabbing her arms, or dragging her in the floor, or running a sword through her. He was carefully holding a glass of water, which he led to her lips as he lifted her head.

“Who are you?”, she managed to say, her inquisitive eyes aiming towards him.

“I have been designed to bring you food and keep you warm, that’s all you need to know.” With the gleam of light that came through the door, she could already see the room. It was a wooden division that only contained the bed she had been put in, a little bedside table and a fireplace at her feet. He pilled some logs and lighted a fire, the blazing flames instantly making her body warmer.

Thea was confused. She thought they were going to kill her. The Chinese man sure had tried to, “Why am I not dead?”

“Because there’s someone very powerful who doesn’t want you dead. Maseo had to fake your death to make everyone else believe it, that’s why he stabbed you. But it will heal, in time.”

His face was still covered by the dark mask, but that wasn’t a full grown man’s voice. He was young, perhaps as young as she was. What was he doing there?

“I want to see my brother.”

“Are you talking about Oliver Queen? You will never see him again. In fact, you will never see _anyone_ ever again.”

“What do you mean?”, she grunted, her eyes burning him.

“You were supposed to be dead, Thea Queen. And you are. To the rest of the word, you are dead. You are never leaving this hut again.”

“Oh, I will. I don’t care how many of you beasts try to hold me in here, I’m leaving this place. I am going to find my brother and-,” her voice cracked, her eyes bulging from fear, tears rushing down her face uncontrollably. “Please, let me out of here.”

“I’m sorry, I can’t,” he whispered as he sat next to her, his hand rubbing her back in a useless attempt to comfort her.

They stayed like this for a while, Thea crying, her head buried in the mattress, and the man in the mask, the one who was supposed to be evil, maybe one of those who had hurt her, caressing her, making her feel a little safer, a little less alone.

And then she got tired of crying, of being weak, of feeling sorry for herself. At cost, with a groan and the pain making her body tremble, she sat, “Where are we?”

“I can’t tell you that. But I can tell you we are in a mountain, and it’s very cold out there, so you shouldn’t try to leave now. You need to heal.”

“If I am dead to the word, if I am not going to see anyone else for the rest of my life, then why can’t I at least see you?”

He seemed confused, she could see it in his eyes. She was too. He was supposed to be evil, and yet somehow, she didn’t want him to leave. “It’s not like I am going to tell the world who you are,” she insisted, “There is no _world_ out here.”

Still a bit suspicious, he took off his mask. His eyes were light-blue, he had short, brown hair and an angled face and she stared at him for a moment, trying to absorb his beauty. “I’m Thea,” she finally said, “What’s your name?”

“Do you seriously want to play introductions?”

“Well, seems like I’ll be stuck here for a while, and so will you. I can’t think of anything better to do, but if you have any ideas, I’m open to suggestions,” she joked, and a grin gained form in his lips.

“Roy Harper.”

She smiled back at him, their eyes meeting and not wanting to let go.

“So, Roy Harper… My body is hurting like hell and I’m starving. Have you got any food with you or just that _I’m-a-really-bad-guy_ face?”

His laughter was beautiful, soft, almost imperceptible. But she heard it, and that was enough. “I’ll go get you some food. Don’t jump off the window or anything.”

* * *

 

“Did you do everything as I told you to?”

“What are you talking about?”

Diggle sighted, visibly concerned, “The poison.”

“Yes, I did. I gave one of the men the syringe with the diluted poison, just like you told me to.”

“Is there any way he could have switched it?”

“No, no way. I was there the whole time. Why? What’s wrong, Johnny?”

“I don’t think it worked.”

There was silence for a few seconds. When she spoke again, the woman’s voice was a lot more unstable, “What do you mean it didn’t work? It had to work!”

“I don’t think he woke up earlier.”

“But how could you know that?”

“Felicity showed up here earlier-”

“Felicity is there!?”, the woman inquired, the surprise evident in her tone.

“Yes, and he acted _normal_. You don’t act normal with someone if you know they are the ones who killed your sister!”

“Maybe she didn’t tell him, like you thought she would. We both know how good Felicity is, maybe you were wrong and she doesn’t make any slips.”

“No, you don’t get it. This time it’s different. He’s messing with her head, she’s starting to question everything. I heard her on the phone this afternoon, and for the first time in her life, she is having second thoughts. This is _the one_ , Lyla. Something’s wrong.”

“Do you think he could have forgiven her?”

“Oliver? No. He loved his sister too much, and he isn’t entirely lost yet, he still distinguishes between right and wrong. But if we don’t figure this out, we may lose him soon.”

“And if we lose him…”

“We won’t get Felicity back. Ever.”

“I’ll see if something went wrong with the dilution of the poison. Call me later.”

“Take care of yourself, Lyla.”

“I love you, Johnny.”

“I love you too.”

As soon as he hung up the phone, he sensed Oliver approaching him. He hadn’t left his room since Felicity had to go, and Diggle didn’t want to bother him. He at least deserved not to have some stranger keeping him from mourning his sister. Especially since he knew exactly what it felt like to lose a sibling.

“Oliver. Do you need anything?”

“No, I was just checking in on you.”

“Funny, because I should be the one checking in on you,” he said with a grin. “Are you okay, man?”

“No, I’m not.”

“Do you want to talk?”

“No.”

Oliver started walking towards the living room and Diggle followed him. “Are you sure? Because you look like you’re having a really bad day.”

“I don’t think there’s anything you could do to change that.”

“Maybe not, but as ridiculous as it might sound to you, talking actually helps.”

“What about when a member of your family dies and you can’t tell anyone, Diggle? Does talking help you then too?”, he burst out, his composure breaking, his eyes playing pranks on him once more, forcing him to cry. Diggle remained silent, not stepping back, not taking his eyes off of him. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

“Look, Oliver, I’m not the best person to give advices, I really am not. But if you keep that for yourself, it’s going to end up destroying you.”

“My sister is dead, Diggle. I’m already broken.”

“I am sorry for your sister, but believe me, we are all broken. The strength is in picking up the pieces and keep on walking. Otherwise you’re going to let it eat you up from inside out, until you have nothing left but misery. Until you lose the one thing you still got: _your soul_.”

_“Just let her go. I’ll do whatever you want.”_

_“It doesn’t work that way, Mr. Queen. To be a part of the League, you must lose your soul. And you only lose a soul when everything has been taken from you.”_

_“Why are you doing this?”_

_“We want you.”_

Diggle’s words echoed in his head like a red warning. He had to tell someone. He had to let it out, he had to focus and keep moving. Keep moving towards something, anything. Keep moving until his ultimate goal was fulfilled, no matter the cost. He patted Diggle’s back, his eyes whispering the gratitude he wasn’t able to express, “Good night, Diggle.”

“Good night, Oliver.”

He moved silently and firmly until he reached the door to his mother’s bedroom. He knocked and a voice told him to come in. His mother was lying in bed, reading some Queen Consolidated documents in her silk nightgown. She lifted her head to give her son a smile as he closed the door and sat at the bottom of the bed.

“There’s something I need to tell you, and the reason I haven’t told you before, is because I didn’t know if I could handle watching you suffer. But I can’t keep this from you.”

“Oliver, you’re scaring me, honey. What’s wrong?”

“It’s about Thea.”

“What about her?”

“Thea is not at a friend’s house, mom.”

Moira smiled in confusion, “Of course she is, she texted me saying-”

“Thea is dead.”

She held her breath, terrified. She couldn’t say anything for a while, and Oliver wanted to reach out to her, comfort her just like she had tried to do with him, but he couldn’t move. “Oliver, what are you talking about? Thea is not dead, she is… She’s not… She can’t be.”

He held her hand, “Those men, they didn’t just want money. They wanted me. And they took Thea. I’m sorry.”

Her mouth dropped open as her eyes started shedding tears she wasn’t even aware of. “My baby! My sweet little girl!”, she screamed in terror as she grabbed Oliver’s chest and started sobbing uncontrollably.

“But I know who did it, mother. And I’m going to make them pay.”

“Who could have done this to her, Oliver!?”, she cried out, too far gone to even pay attention to what he was about to say.

“Felicity Smoak did,” he took a deep breath, the dark in his eyes gaining a new form, more determined, more powerful, more _lethal_. “She killed Thea, and I am going to kill her.”


	4. How To Save A Soul

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Three months have gone by since Thea was murdered and the wounds are starting to heal. Oliver has been getting training from Diggle, Moira is finally recovering and Thea is learning how to trust the one person she could never. But one day, Oliver decides to fufill his plan. Oliver decides to kill Felicity Smoak.
> 
> When danger turns into a broken soul and her darkest secrets are unveiled as she is offered one peculiar legacy, will trust be earned, or broken?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am really, really sorry this is only being posted today, but I do have a reason. I will explain it above, if you continue reading.
> 
> I know there are some controversial opinions about the relationships between some of the characters, especially O/F and T/R, and that is why I am asking you to trust me on this. I am writing about people, people who are damaged, whose feelings are messed up and who don't even know who to trust anymore. Give them time, and all of these troubled thoughts and feelings will be solved eventually. We're heading towards a good place, guys, and you will start to see that this chapter, even if you don't really notice it yet. Remember, trust is not earned in a day. But when it is, it is worth the wait.
> 
> For those of you who have been reading my story chapter by chapter, telling me what you think, asking questions, showing interest, giving me compliments (and even for those who read silently and support me in a more quiet way): this chapter is for you. The ones who follow me on Twitter (I'm at @iness1dir, come talk to me! :) ) and whom I inform whenever I post a new chapter know this weekend was not easy for me and it was absolutely impossible to conciliate real life and writing. I could have posted a smaller chapter, or a not so well-writen one, but I want you to know when I write, I put my heart and soul into it, and it is all because of you. So this is my gift to you, based on some nights not so well slept and taking every second of my free time, but I couldn't be happier to be doing this. Thank you so much for your support, it means the world to me. You are the reason why I write in the first place.
> 
> Pardon me for any mistakes, given that English is not my first language.

Three months had gone by and the pain was no less real. It was still there every second of every day, this knife stuck in his chest, buried so deep it wouldn’t go away no matter how hard he pulled. He still saw his little sister’s face every night, barely sleeping, spending many days without eating.

Thea Queen’s death had been in every newspaper and magazine around Starling City for a while, and then everyone seemed to have forgotten her. Just as seasons change, so did people’s horror and sorrow. It slowly faded away until the youngest Queen heritor was only mentioned when people ran out of subject.

The funeral, three days after Oliver told his mother about Thea, had been a beautiful ceremony, even though there was no body, no person, no one to cry for except for the picture at the altar of the church. Moira had done her best to spear him, talking to those who wished to say something nice despite not really knowing what, keeping her composure and sending paparazzi away with just one cold look, her body weak from the sleepless nights and days spent in bed and tugged inside a black dress that seemed to be fighting hard to be appropriate. But nothing is appropriate when you lose your daughter.

But whereas Moira Queen had nothing else to do but mourn her beautiful baby girl, Oliver had far different plans in mind. He hadn’t been sleeping at home for several weeks now, afraid it would remember him of her face as his sister fell asleep for good. He barely stepped foot in there anyway, except for the occasional visits to his mother. Every time he went to see her, she seemed older, the dark circles around her eyes deepened and her face dry from the lack of tears, and it broke his heart. He would tell her what he had been doing all week, how were things at QC, how Mr. Steele seemed to have everything under control and sent his most sincere regards, what had been going on in the city so far. She would listen to him with a faded smile, her gaze lost elsewhere, and then he would stay until there was nothing left to say and they were both already alone.

The most of his time though, he spent training with Diggle. Turns out, to fulfill this new plan of his, he really did need a bodyguard. As he came to learn day by day, John Diggle was an extraordinary person. Not only had he helped him improve his fighting skills, he had taken away his agony, even if just for some brief seconds. He knew when not to talk and when he did, he always said the right thing. He was a brave, fair man and Oliver secretly looked up to him.

“Are you sure you want to do this, Oliver?”, he had said when Oliver asked him for his help.

“She killed my sister, Diggle,” and he took a deep breath, because no matter how many times he said it, it hurt even more than the last.

“That’s no excuse to kill someone.”

“So what do you suggest? I just leave her be? Or maybe I should go tap her back and comfort her!”

“I’m not saying you have to forgive her, Oliver, much less comfort her, but you do have to forgive yourself.”

“What are you talking about?”, he challenged, his voice cracking with doubt.

“The only reason you’re targeting Felicity is because you haven’t forgiven yourself for what happened yet. You’re after revenge, not justice, because you think that’ll make the pain go away. But it won’t, believe me,” Diggle’s words of wisdom hit him too deep and Oliver momentarily lost his balance, so much so he had to take a trembling step back.

“I am doing this because of Thea.”

“Look, man, I didn’t know your sister that well, but I’m sure Thea wouldn’t want you to kill anyone,” he sighed, “You’re doing this for yourself, and that’s exactly what that girl wants.”

A moment of silent. Neither of them took his eyes off each other, as if they were studying the other, judging, understanding if they were trustable. Finally, Oliver spoke, “Are you going to help me or not?”

“I can teach you how to fight, Oliver, but I won’t make you a killer.”

Oliver reached his hand, “Thank you.” Diggle gave him a firm handshake and that day, the training began. He found an abandoned cave under one of his family’s company buildings so no one suspected what they were doing and John started teaching him the basics: self-defense, fight moves, how to work with a gun or a knife. It was exhausting, frustrating at times, but it kept his mind off of Thea and his mother and it kept him going. It was his own way of picking up the pieces.

That day they had been practicing fighting with sticks, which Oliver had seen as ridiculous and useless the first day, but not anymore. It was way harder than it looked and it turned out to improve not only his fighting skills but also his reflexes and ability to coordinate. Sure, he wasn’t ready to go up against one of those masked men yet, but he could put up a hell of a fight with anyone else.

“You’re getting good at this,” Diggle declared with a smile as they took a break to clean themselves and drink some water.

“I have a good mentor.”

The other man approached Oliver with a concerned look, “Have you been seeing Felicity?”

He swallowed dryly before answering a simple “No.”

“If she really is the one under the black mask as you told me, don’t you think she might be suspicious?”

“I don’t care,” Oliver let out, almost grunting, but just a second later his tone softened as he tried to shake that thought, “I have to go visit my mother today.”

John understood this was the end of the conversation, that Oliver didn’t want to talk anymore, and respected that. The relationship between the two had gotten to a point where they could almost read each other’s minds and Oliver realized they were a lot more alike than he had thought, seeing him in his ironed grey suit for the first time. “That’s a good idea. I hope she’s doing better.”

“She is trying,” he answered, mainly because he didn’t know what else to say, even though they both knew that was a lie.

“See you tomorrow, Oliver,” but he didn’t have the time to answer, since Diggle climbed the stairs and immediately left the room, leaving him alone with his fears and troubled thoughts. Doing his best not to fall in the temptation of reliving his nightmares, Oliver was able to pull himself out of the cave and drive to his house, which seemed more of a bizarre palace now that he didn’t even feel like he lived there anymore.

When he entered the Queen Mansion, his mother was having lunch, sat alone at the ridiculously huge table. Oliver’s place was still there, as well as Thea’s. There was something strangely comforting in sitting at the table with that seat that would never be taken again, as if she was just momentarily gone and would come back soon to eat with them.

“Will you be joining us for lunch today, my dear?”, Moira asked with a smile as he kissed her on the forehead and took his place next to her.

“I thought I’d keep you company,” he smiled back, and as his eyes met his mother’s, he could tell how grateful she was. Moira Queen was a strong woman, but she was also in pain. And she desperately needed her son.

“So, how are things going out there in Starling?”

And Oliver told her, once more, about the family’s company, about the fact that Mr. Steele was thinking about paying her a visit to talk business, and she seemed happy, so he was too. He told him about the small crimes in the city, about the Mayor’s speech last Friday, although it had been completely uninteresting, and they talked for the whole meal, their minds busy with superficial information and thoughts so they wouldn’t have to focus on Thea.

When they finally got up and Oliver announced he had to leave, his mother asked him to sit with her on the couch for a moment and asked the question she had wanted to ask for the whole afternoon, “And how are things with Diggle?”

Oliver was caught by surprise. She hadn’t asked about that ever since he told her what he was planning, and he avoided the subject as well, even though he didn’t really have a reason to. “Good. I’m making progress,” he answered.

“Look, Oliver…,” Moira grabbed his hand and faced him with her compassionate look, the look of a mother, the look of a woman who always fought the crowd, fate and whatever got in the way of her family’s happiness, “I know what you are doing and I understand why you are doing it. But you don’t need to…”

“I’m doing it for Thea,” he interrupted, repeating the words he had been telling himself for three months now.

“I have known you for 27 years, my son. I know when something is upsetting you, and this is.”

“My sister is dead, killed by a woman I trusted and whom I cared about” he sighed, “How am I supposed to _not_ be upset?”

“It’s not just that. You know, the first few weeks after Thea’s…,” her voice faded, trying to find the best way to put it, but she couldn’t, “I would torture myself trying to understand how she was killed, and why. Nobody had the right to take my little girl from me,” a tear rushed down her face, but she didn’t mind it, “But then I started dreaming about her. And they weren’t nightmares, they were good dreams. Better than reality. She would find me crying and hold me in those tiny arms of her and whisper _It’s okay_. And slowly, I am finding peace. I miss Thea more than I thought I could ever miss someone, Oliver, but I don’t feel any rage towards that woman, nor do I want to know what happened to Thea. She didn’t deserve that. Revenge, grudge, sorrow… Your sister doesn’t deserve that.”

“You don’t understand,” he growled.

“Oh, I do. I do, Oliver. You feel like it’s your fault. _That_ is why you’re doing this. But it’s not. It’s not your fault, my boy.”

At her words, Oliver let his head rest on his mother’s chest and, as she ran her hands through his hair, he let out the pain, the anger, the frustration, the guilt that had been overwhelming him since that day.

“I still need this,” he finally whispered, “Because if I don’t have this… this _goal_ , then I don’t have anything. I don’t have Thea, mom. And the pain is too much.”

“It’ll go away, Oliver. Just like it did with your father.”

“This time is different. She was just a _child_ …”

“Just promise me you won’t lose yourself in the process.”

“I promise,” he whispered, but deep down, he wasn’t sure if he hadn’t already. He got up and placed a kiss on her cheek, wiping her tears with his finger.

“Be careful, Oliver. I can’t lose you too,” she let out in the distance as he headed towards the front door.

“You won’t lose me,” he still said before the door shut, but he wasn’t sure she had heard him.

* * *

 

If Thea Queen was missed by her loved ones, she missed them just as much. But the cold of the snow mixed with the fireplace and the hot soups Roy brought her every day helped easing the pain. Especially because she had an even greater pain: her stomach had been severely damaged and the scar was starting to form, but she still felt as if someone was burning her inside out. Roy cleaned her wounds and wrapped her in brand new bandages every morning and used to give her awful mixtures of water and some leaves that were supposed to make her feel better. She drank them with suspicion and vomits, and only because she was almost forced to. But at night, when she watched as he vanished into the snow with his terrifying uniform, she felt agonizingly lonely.

She still didn’t trust him. She still felt like killing him, some irrational attempt of hurting the ones who had hurt them, but she knew she would probably end up crying uncontrollably over his body. Besides, he was her only source of food, warmth and company, and as much as she despised him, she needed him to survive.

That day, she was already sat at the small wood table in the living room when he walked through the door. He got in, both of them silent as he placed the food on the table and lit the fire. When all of that was done, he sat in front of her, “How are you feeling?”

“Same,” she answered quietly.

“Does it still hurt?”

“Not as much as not being able to talk to my family,” she growled, her eyes sharpened and filled with rage.

He sighed, and she didn’t understand whether he was sick of those statements or just uncomfortable because of what he was being forced to do to her, “We’ve talked about that.”

“You can talk to me all you want, bring me all the soups and teas in the world and play nice by treating my scar, but don’t fool yourself into thinking I will ever trust you or quit trying to contact my family.”

“I wouldn’t want you to.”

She shook her head, confused, “What do you mean?”

“Look, you’re a strong woman, Thea. And if I’ll spend the rest of my life taking care of you, I might as well get used to it.”

“You won’t,” she let out, challenging him, “I’ll get out of here soon.”

“You underestimate me,” he teased.

“No, _you_ underestimate _me_.”

His smirk distracted her from her efforts to appear powerful and she mentally cursed herself for it, which just made his smile widen. After everything he had been through, Thea was Roy’s breath of fresh air, and even though he would never admit it, he admired the girl who was lucky enough to be alive, and still had the nerve to fight one of the most feared assassins in the world.

“I brought you clothes and a blanket, in case you get cold at night,” he mentioned as he started unwrapping the package he had brought, showing a brown, warm fabric, a pair of trousers, a shirt and a feather coat which seemed way too big for her to ever fit in that, “The coat is for you to go outside when you get better.”

She stared at him inquisitively. “Well, you may have to be stuck here forever, but that doesn’t mean you can’t leave the house and take a walk,” he answered naturally.

“What makes you think I won’t run away?”

“You have nowhere to go.”

The truth hit her like a bullet and tears started rushing down her face as she remembered her mother and brother, alone, devastated probably, and there she was, with _nowhere to go_. He realized what he had done and tried to reach her, comfort her, but she pushed him so hard he actually lost balance, “Get away from me!”

“Thea, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to-”

“I really don’t care,” she let out, the contempt in her voice clear, “I don’t know why I ever thought I could see you as…,” her voice faded.

“What?”

“You’re the bad guy, Roy. You and your _kind_ , you dragged me in the floor, you rana sword through my chest!”

“I didn’t do that. I didn’t do anything to you, Thea.”

For some reason, she felt an immense relief that took away the pain for a while. He wasn’t one of them. He hadn’t hurt her. It was almost like he wasn’t even one of the bad guys. But he was, and she couldn’t forget that, ever, “It doesn’t matter. You’re still one of them.”

And without even having the time to think about them as the words came out of his mouth, his heart racing and his feelings betraying him, he placed a hand on her shoulder and whispered, “For you, I wouldn’t.”

* * *

 

The stone walls, the dirt, the hooded men, it felt like reliving Thea’s death all over again and he wasn’t sure he could do that; his legs were shaking way too much and his head was aching, begging to leave and let go. But he wouldn’t. And so, when the Chinese man led him to a room where the black hooded figure stood straight, turned against the wall, he fought every one of his body’s impulses telling him to run away while he could and took one step forward, “Felicity Smoak?”

Another month had gone by before Oliver finally made the decision of returning to that place. Felicity’s calls kept going to voicemail and he didn’t even bother reading her texts. And then one day, he just couldn’t take it anymore, “It’s time, Diggle. But I don’t know how.”

“I do,” he stated, and without Oliver even understanding what had happened, a few hours later he was flying to what Diggle had referred to as _Nanda Parbat_. How or why, he wouldn’t be able to tell, too lost amongst his own thoughts. All he heard was Diggle mention something about him being the key to Felicity’s salvation, but everything seemed so unreal, so out of place. When they arrived in front of the palace, Oliver felt afraid like he had never felt before. Then, a man grabbed his arm and minutes later, there he was. He had lost Diggle somewhere along the way, being left alone with the woman who had ruined his life and yet, stole his heart from the first moment.

“I knew you had figured it out,” she answered firmly, and the sound of her voice sent shivers down his spine.

“You killed my sister,” he stated, as if she didn’t already know that, but she didn’t say anything. All she did was turn around so he could face her. Those breathtaking blue eyes and the golden hair framing her face, not hiding behind the hood anymore, made him feel something he couldn’t identify. “What gave me away?”

“I heard you.”

“The poison was supposed to leave you unconscious until morning.”

“Well, I guess it didn’t.”

There was silence, sharp as a knife. Finally, “Why are you here, Oliver?”

“I had nowhere else to go.”

“That’s not true, don’t fool yourself. You’re here for me.”

“Yes.”

“Then go ahead,” she challenged as she approached him, a few feet keeping them apart.

He frowned, mesmerized at her serenity, “And do what?”

“That’s up to you.”

He grabbed the knife he had hidden inside his jacket and pointed it towards her. She didn’t move one bit. He stepped closer and closer, the knife pointed at her face, his body wanting to run and his head telling him to end it once and for all. Yet, he stood still, “Aren’t you going to try to escape?”

She smiled, and for the first time he knew he was seeing her real smile. It was broken, tortured, forged in the deepest of pains, and for a second he felt sorry for her, he wanted to comfort her because he knew no one else did. “Why would I?”, her voice cracked, “It’s your choice, not mine.”

“But you could take this knife from me in a second,” he stated.

She nodded, “Yes, I could.”

“Why won’t you?”

“Don’t you see? I’m giving you a chance to save yourself.”

He laughed ironically, his eyes stuck in hers, “Save me? You made me trust you and then you killed my sister. You _killed_ her!”, he yelled, his face inches away from hers.

“Then kill me!”

“But I don’t want to kill you!”, he exploded, because the truth hurt too much, the knife on the ground, his hands in his head, kneeling in front of her, “I don’t know what to do anymore, Felicity.”

She kneeled as well, her hand rubbing his arms and taking away the pain just like it had the day he had last seen her, “Look, Oliver, you want to know why I didn’t take that knife away from you?” He looked up, and she looked him right in the eyes, “Because if I had, then you’d be lost. If I had taken it, I would have made the choice for you, and I would have turned you into a monster, into… _me_. But I let _you_ made that choice, and you chose not to do it. You spared my life. You, Oliver Queen, are a hero.”

“Not according to you. According to you, I’m a killer.”

“I was wrong.” She moved closer to him, whispering in his ear, “You’re destined to become a murderer, but we don’t always have to give in to our fate.”

“Did you?”

She took a deep breath, “I had no choice.”

_The boy had been rescued after both his parents had been killed in a terrorist attack. He had tanned skin and dark eyes, opposed to the young girl’s beauty, and there was something about him extremely captivating. It had worked on Felicity since the day they met, and when she had found him covered in cuts and tears, she had healed him and comforted him as good as a 13 year old girl could. They soon became best friends amongst the darkness of the stone castle, and between swords and assassins, Felicity and Cooper shared a flicker of light. A little sparkle in their eyes, the way they saw the world, the way they dreamed of changing it. Until, three years later, it vanished._

_Ra’s didn’t like the boy at first; he had done everything he could to turn his daughter into something she was not since the day she was born, and the child brought up her true self. She was happy when she was around him, and whether it was jealousy or a pure inconvenient, something about Cooper bothered him. He had offered to train him, to forge him into one of them, and he had refused. At that time, he had thought about killing him, or leaving him to root somewhere in that inhospitable desert. Then, he had seen in him the miraculous solution for all of his problems, and he let him stay._

_“Felicity!”, she heard him, above all voices, a quiet cry for help somewhere far away. She ran through the vast corridors and checked every room until she finally found him. They were lying side by side, Cooper and her father, both bleeding to death._

_“What have you done?”, she asked as she ran her hands through the bloody cut in Cooper’s chest, her wet eyes facing her father._

_“What I should have done a long time ago, Felicity.”_

_She cried out to the other men in the room, watching as the two got weaker at each breath and yet, doing absolutely nothing. She asked for help, she begged them to heal him, but they wouldn’t. And then, she finally realized, “You want me to choose, don’t you?”_

_“I want you to grow.”_

_“How can you do this to me!?”, she cried uncontrollably, her hair falling off her head and covering the boy’s face as she leaned down to kiss his forehead, “It’ll be fine, Cooper, I promise.”_

_“Fe- Felicity,” he whispered at cost, the blood now filling his mouth, “It’s okay.”_

_“I won’t let you die! Not like this!”_

_“I love you.”_

_Her tears could grow an ocean as her eyes turned to Ra’s, “I choose Cooper.”_

_With blood in his mouth, his lips were still able to form a sadistic grin, “I knew you would.”_

_The men grabbed her father and she didn’t understand what had happened from that moment on for a long time. They left her and her love alone, heading towards the Lazarus Pit. He would be healed. He would be saved. Cooper wouldn’t._

_“What are you doing!?”, she yelled in despair, “I chose him! Save him!”_

_And then a Chinese man in a mask placed a hand on her trembling shoulder and whispered, “I’m sorry,” before leaving them both alone forever in that room._

_“It’s okay,” Cooper kept repeating, but it was not._

_“Cooper, please don’t leave me,” she begged, “I need you. I… I_ love _you.”_

_“You can survive this, Felicity. I know you can,” he muttered in agony, and she placed a hand on his chest, trying to stop the blood from spreading._

_“We both can. You’ll make it through, just hang in there. Don’t leave me, Cooper. Cooper? Do you hear me?”_

_“I just want to let you know…,” and his voice was nothing but a whisper at this point, “I was happy.”_

_She leaned down, placing a kiss on his dormant lips, “So was I.” And the last thing he saw before closing his eyes, was her last genuine smile._

“Oliver, soon there will be men here to take you. They’ve been informed, they know you are here and what you came here to do. I can help you, but you have to trust me.”

“Why would I trust you when you are the reason why my whole life has been destroyed?”

“Because I won’t lose you too. I can’t lose you,” she grabbed his hand, but he immediately pulled it back.

“I’m not going anywhere with you.”

“If not for me, then for Tommy.”

Oliver’s eyes flickered with rage, “What do you know about Tommy?”

“I know enough to have made him my next target, and if you don’t follow me right now, we may not make it in time,” she confessed, her voice too nervous, too broken.

“I brought a friend of mine. I have to get him,” and that was all he was able to say while getting back on his feet again.

“We don’t have the time. If you go back for him, Tommy will die.”

And when the armed men entered the room, there was no one else there.

* * *

 

“Tommy, open the damn door!”, Oliver yelled, Felicity hiding outside the building.

“Oliver?”, he heard as his best friend’s face appeared, “How are you feeling, man? Look, I know-”

“We have to leave. _Now_ ,” he pulled his arm, but he wouldn’t come.

“What do you mean? Why? Oliver, are you okay?”

“In about 2 minutes, a group of masked men will enter your apartment, and they don’t just want to _talk_. They’re here for you, Tommy. Just like they were for Thea.”

“Thea? But didn’t Thea die in a car accident? Oliver, what the hell is going on!?”

“There’s no time. You have to trust me,” this time, as he pulled his arm, he showed no resistance. Seconds later, as they ran down the stairs as fast as they could, Tommy heard window glasses being broken and orders yelled in some language he hadn’t ever heard before.

“Who are these men?”, he screamed as they galloped, jumping three, sometimes four stairs all at once.

“They’re after me, and they will stop at nothing to get what they want.” When they reached the front door, Oliver gave Felicity a look and she snuck in just before Tommy closed it, not even noticing her amongst the range of thoughts going through his mind.

Oliver placed a hand on his shoulder, giving him the keys to a car parked right outside, “You’re going to get inside this car and drive for a whole day. Drive somewhere far away, where no one can find you. In three days, I’ll give you a call and tell you what to do, but until then, Tommy, you have to keep yourself safe.”

“Won’t they come after me?”

“Someone is stalling them. But it won’t last long, you need to go.”

Tommy grabbed both of his best friend’s shoulders and pulled him to a tight hug, “Take care of yourself, Oliver. Don’t do anything stupid.”

“I won’t.”

“I’ll be waiting for your call,” he said as he stepped away, running towards the car. Oliver watched as he drove as fast as he could and seconds later, he was gone and Felicity was back.

“Did you do it?”

“I handled them, yes, but there are more men coming. We need to leave Starling City.”

“And go where?”

“Leave that to me.”

* * *

 

Felicity took him to a little island along the cost of South America called Corto Maltese. It seemed like the perfect place for someone who was on the run: small, hidden from the word with its culm houses and wide beaches. She talked to some of the village people in a fluent… Brazilian? Or was it Spanish? Whatever it was, he didn’t understand it, and he found himself fearing she was setting him another ambush. But if so, why would she had helped him save Tommy and run from the ones who were supposed to be _her_ men? Nothing made sense anymore, and so Oliver went with the plan, his head making him hate her even more at each second as Thea’s desperate face appeared in his thoughts, but the heart thought differently.

She guided him to a small house with a small, fairly well-treated garden. Inside there were three bedrooms, and he wondered who the third one would be for. That’s when he saw Diggle.

“Diggle,” and he hugged him tight, patting his back with a grin filled with happiness, and realizing how much he had grown fond of him the past few months, “How are you even here?”

“Military training, remember? Besides, Felicity told me where you were. Or better yet, she told one of her men to bring me here.”

Oliver’s eyes turned to her, but instead of a shade of happiness, she looked like she was trying to hide the terror in her eyes, “I will leave you two here, it’s safe.”

“Will you be back?”, Oliver asked, even though he didn’t know why. He just felt the need to know she wasn’t going away, to protect her from the dangerous men who were probably after her by now, even though he knew exactly who their master was.

“Yes, but don’t wait up.”

She wandered around the island for the rest of the day, her feet already sore and her body weak from the sun. Her mind had slowed down, but one thing was still there, present, tormenting her, haunting her like it had been for 7 years. Cooper’s face.

_“I just want to let you know… I was happy.”_

“So was I,” she answered silently to the wind, and as soon as the words came out of her mouth, she knew there was someone listening. Someone who should never be there, “Father?”

“Hello, Felicity,” he answered, a smile on his face that caused her legs to weaken even without the mantle.

“What are you doing here?”

“Don’t worry, I only came to talk.”

She rolled her eyes in contempt, “Talking is really not your thing.”

“You can walk around saving people and playing good girl, Felicity, but I know who you are. You’re my daughter. Did you really think I wouldn’t find you?”

She took a deep breath, her words sharpened as knives, “No, I didn’t. Otherwise, I would have ran from you a long time ago.”

“That boy’s death was your fault, not mine,” he stated, and her eyes were immediately filled with tears of rage.

“Cooper died because of _you_. I chose him.”

“No, you chose to love. You chose happiness. He died because you didn’t understand the cost of the life we led, just like you are doing now.”

“If you’re not here to take me back, and I trust you won’t kill me, then what do you want from me?”, she finally asked, unable to continue that conversation, the memories still too vivid in her mind.

He took his time, torturing her at each second of silence. “I want you to take my place.”

She was astonished. Yes, Felicity was his daughter, but never in a million years had she thought she would ever live to take on the mantle, nor did she want to. Inheriting his legacy was her worst nightmare. “What?”

“You heard me. The time has come for you to take what’s yours for right.”

“Why would I ever accept that offer?”

“Because you don’t have a choice. This is who you are, no matter how hard you try to hide it. And that is why I have a quest for you before I can consider you worthy of the mantle, my daughter.”

“What do you want?”

“I want you to embrace the darkness,” he smiled, his hand grabbing her arm with a tight gasp, “Bring me Oliver Queen, and you will become the next Ra’s Al Ghul.”

“And if I don’t?”

“Then I will kill him, and everyone he cares about. Ending with you.”


	5. Long Lost Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Decisions are made in the middle of nowhere as Roy makes Thea a proposal that will change both their lives forever. Meanwhile, in Corto Maltese, Felicity opens up to Diggle and Oliver learns something that changes the way he feels about everything.  
> But life is often more cruel than it is fair, and darkness and despair rise once more as deep secrets from the past are unveiled when John and Lyla's master finally wishes to meet Felicity Al Ghul.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to apologize for not updating last Saturday, but I had a huge exam this Wednesday and it was absolutely impossible to write. From now on, I will try to update as regularly as I did. Now, brace yourselves because this is going to be a bit long, but I ask you, please, read the notes until the end. It is very important to me that you do.
> 
> I want to let you know we're half way through the story, if not more. When I first imagined this, it was supposed to be 10 Chapters long, but I didn't establish a definite limit because I wanted to be free to end it when it felt right. The truth is, this chapter is where everything changes. Big Bads are revealed and a lot of relationships evolve, allowing the story to grow and develop more and more from now on. I am really excited about that, and I hope you are too! Enjoy the ride. :)
> 
> Now on to the less fun, more personal stuff. I'm going to tell you a little bit about me (No people, this is not a biography or me trying to tell you the story of my life and a detailed list of all my problems, don't worry. It actually has a purpose.) Well I'm a Portuguese 16 year old girl, that's basically all you need to know. Any fanfiction writer who writes in another language that is not their own knows what I am talking about when I say it is extremely hard. People often underestimate how hard it is to write, but writing, in any language and any form, is hard as hell. Now I'm not looking for you to feel sorry for me, because I LOVE writing. Always have, always will. Writing is my life and to have such positive feedback from you guys every week is a dream came true. The problem is, I am a really competitive and perfectionist person. This, added to the fact that there are approximately 499058037 fanfiction writers way better than me, since I am only just begging and English is not even my first language, can make me feel a little less motivated at times. I feel like I'm not good enough for you to be reading what I write every week, especially right now that I am going through a really hard time when it comes to writing and studies: it is really hard to reconcile both, mainly because I'm an average 19/20 student and as you might now, that is not an easy grade to keep. Because of that, I spend most of my time studying, and have little periods of time to dedicate to writing, which results in this feeling like an obligation, which I really don't want it to, and a huge criative break down. I feel like I have no imagination left, like what I am writing is predictable and uninteresting.
> 
> So basically, cutting to the chase and minus the whole drama stuff, what I am saying is I'm not sure I should continue this fanfic. Or writing at all, to be honest. This is just a warning, mainly because I think I owe it to you to share this since you have supported me so much this far. So yeah, that's basically what I had to say. If you want to help me make a decision, I need your feedback. That's really all that matters to me. Whether you do it on Twitter (@iness1dir) or below in the comments, I need you to tell me what you like, what you don't and what you want to see next. And please, be honest. Because as much as I love writing, this is not easy for me, and you are the ones who make it better.
> 
> If you've made it this far without falling asleep, then congratulations and a huge thank you are in order! Now forget about me and just enjoy the chapter. ;)

“Johnny?”

Damn, he had missed her voice. One would think after everything they had been through together, he wouldn’t miss her anymore. But he did. Every second of every day. “Lyla, thank God. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, you don’t have to worry about me.”

Suddenly, a flicker of terror caused his heart to stop beating. If she was fine, then _why was she calling him_?

“I have something to tell you.”

“Is something wrong?”

“I’m not sure yet,” Diggle heard as his wife took a deep breath, “I talked to _him_. He says it’s time. He wants to meet her.”

“But if he meets her now…”

“He will find out about Oliver, I know. And we won’t be the only ones suffering, Johnny. Felicity and Oliver will too. Once he finds out…”

“He’ll kill her. He’ll kill both of them.”

“We can’t let that happen.”

He scratched his head and as the words came out of his mouth, he felt like his whole world was falling apart, “We have to tell her.”

“Felicity? We can’t. If she finds out about this… She won’t be able to take it.”

“It’s the only way. We have to tell Felicity before he finds her.”

That moment, the door opened and a blonde figure walked in, embraced by the darkness of the night, “I have to go. I love you, Lyla.”

“I love you too, Johnny. Take care of her.”

Oliver was already asleep once Felicity got home, but he was still sitting on the couch, waiting for her to show up, part because it was his duty to make sure she was safe, but the truth was, he had learned to love her like a little sister during the times he had watched her in the distance. He had watched as she destroyed dozens of lives, her heart apparently frozen in her chest. But he had also watched as she cried herself to sleep every night, the pain too much, the agony too deep, the weight of the world on her shoulders. He knew her life had no meaning anymore, but it wasn’t just that: over the times, Felicity had been accumulating every single heartbreak, every tear, every feeling of despair, from the ones whose souls she took. She felt their pain because she wanted to spear them in her own twisted way. He watched as she grew into a strong, beautiful and yet broken woman, so different from her father, a tortured angel forced to work for the Demon. “Felicity? Are you okay?”, he asked as she sunk in the couch, her face stained from traces of tears and her unkempt hair falling over her shoulders.

“Where’s Oliver?”

“He’s inside, I told him not to wait for you.”

“John…,” she measured her words carefully before pronouncing them, her eyes seeking comfort in his, “I know you don’t know me, and yet I feel like I’ve known you for a life time. I feel like I can _trust_ you.”

“You can,” he answered quietly, reaching out for her, suppressing his will to tell her everything. To let her know, for once, she was not alone.

“My father, he’s a very powerful man. He’s made me do things… _terrible things_. I know you probably don’t understand what I’m doing here or why I have inflicted this kind of pain on Oliver, but believe me, hurting him was the last thing I ever wanted. Oliver is a good person. He doesn’t deserve this, any of this.”

“I know.”

“You know?”, she asked, her eyes shining through the tears, a sparkle of confusion mixed with just a shade of hope.

“Look, Felicity, I don’t know you. But whoever you are, it’s not _this_ ,” he replied so naturally she couldn’t help but hold her breath for a moment.

“How do you know?”

“Because I don’t think there’s a force on earth that can make _you_ a bad person, Felicity,” he made a brief pause before continuing, allowing his words to sunk in, “Life is messed up, and more often than not we are forced to do things that we don’t want to. I don’t think what you did to Oliver was your choice, was it?”

She stood silent for a moment trying to understand what the answer to that question was. It seemed simple, didn’t it? It was her choice. She could have fought a little harder, resisted a little bit more, _anything_. But she was so tired of fighting, she was so done trying. All she wanted was to lie down, close her eyes, and for the whole world to disappear forever. _Just for a little_.

“Don’t blame yourself for something that is tearing your apart as well,” Diggle’s voice awoke her.

“If I believed in guardian angels, then you would be mine,” a hence of a smile made its way towards her lips, fading just as quickly as it had appeared, “Unfortunately, not even a guardian angel could protect me now.”

“Why?”

“My father, he wants me to take his place. He wants me to _become_ him.”

Diggle’s reaction surprised her. It was equal parts disturbingly calm and terrified, as if he knew exactly what it meant and yet, he had seen it coming, “And do you want to do it?”

“I would rather die than be my father,” she stated with no hesitation, her look firm as she faced him, “But that’s the problem. It’s not my life he’s threatening… it’s _Oliver’s_. I can’t let him hurt Oliver, John. I have taken so much from him already.”

“What do you suggest we do?”

She tilted her head, squinting her eyes, “What do you mean _we_?”

He sighed, looking at her as firmly as he could given the news he had just received, “I know you don’t know much about me, but right now, you have to trust me. I know _you_ , Felicity. And as much as Oliver may seem to hate you right now, that is because he doesn’t know the full truth. But I do. I know what you have done and I know what that has meant to you. How it tears away little pieces of your soul, until there’s nothing left. But I will not let that happen.”

Tears rushed down her face as she gave him the most sincere of smiles, “Why would you do that for me?”

“Because you’re not that person anymore. I know you would never hurt Oliver, and the fact that you told me about your father’s demands is just further proof of that.”

“You really think I am worth saving?”

“Yes, I do. And when you tell Oliver the truth, so will he.”

* * *

 

 

“Hey,” she whispered as Oliver entered the room, his hair still messy and his hands rubbing his sleepy eyes.

“Where’s Diggle?”

“He went out to buy us breakfast, but he’ll be back shortly.”

“Oh,” he whispered as he took a few steps, even though not even he knew where he was headed to.

“Oliver?”, she called from where she stood, near the window, the beaming sunlight stressing her pale skin and golden hair straws.

“Yeah?”

“I want to tell you the truth. All of it.”

Her words caught him off guard and for a second he had no idea what she was talking about. They were just two normal people hiding from the world. But then it all became clearer and the images of Thea and that stone palace came to haunt him once more. He took a step in her direction, but remained silent.

She sighed, “I want you to know that I never meant to hurt you. All I ever wanted was for you to be happy.”

“Then why did you take my happiness away from me?”

She turned her face to the window, watching random people walking down the street for a while, envying their simple lives, their day-to-day worries, before finally answering, “I was born in Nanda Parbat, a castle carved in a mountain. I once told you my mother left when I was very young. Because of that, my father raised me since I was a little girl.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“My father, he is Ra’s Al Ghul, the Demon’s Head, leader of the League of Assassins. Those men that harmed you and your sister, they’re a part of the League. When I was little, I had someone in my life, someone who protected me from the darkness that revolved around my family. But then, my father took him from me. He took _everything_ from me, so I started doing the same to others, because I thought somehow that would make the pain go away, but it didn’t. As I destroyed the lives of men like yourself, it only grew bigger.”

“I’m sorry he forced you to do that,” Oliver said as his gaze slowly turned to her, but her eyes were still locked to the world outside.

“I didn’t mean to do any of the things I did to you, Oliver. After all these years, I was nothing but a weapon. And yet you…,” her eyes faced him at last, tears struggling to leave them, “ _you changed me_. You reminded me of who I truly am,” she paused, wondering whether she should really risk her life to tell him what she was about to. But this was _Oliver_. She would risk anything for him, “That is why I have to tell you… I didn’t kill your sister.”

At those words, Oliver sunk to the couch, his legs weakened, his heart racing so much he felt as it was about to leave his chest. “What?”, the joy was too much to handle. Thea was alive, somewhere. Waiting for him.

“I couldn’t do it. So I had to make you think she was killed, and it had to sound convincing,” her voice broke, “So you would hate me.”

“Hey,” he whispered as she fought the tears that started to fall, holding her hand instantly, because it came as natural to him as breathing, “I don’t _hate_ you, Felicity. I could never hate _you_.”

“But this is all my fault…,” she cried, the despair and guilt overflowing in her voice.

“Don’t you see? You saved my sister. And my best friend. You’re not a _monster_ , Felicity. And this is _not_ your fault.”

“Oliver, I’m sorry.”

“Hey,” he whispered in her ear once more as he pulled her closer to him, her head resting on his strong shoulder as her body trembled, “It’s alright. You’re going to be fine, I promise.”

* * *

 

Roy had left without a word after that sentence, leaving her completely lost, like she hadn’t been for a long time. _For you I wouldn’t_. Those words had echoed in her head for the whole night, preventing her from sleeping, from moving, from breathing. What did he mean? Why would he say that? And even though she had spent countless hours analyzing every syllable, one question still remained: why _her_?

As she heard the door open with its usual creak, Thea stood still in the darkness of her bedroom. She was not ready to face him, to talk to him, to get disappointed because she knew he was still one of them. No matter how many times she wished he wasn’t.

“Thea?” No answer. “Thea, where are you?” The door opened and as she sat on the bed, her gaze immediately locked on him and she felt as if she couldn’t breathe. The brown uniform and mask had vanished, allowing her to finally see his beautiful, sculptural body underneath a warm red sweater and jeans.

“Roy, what is going on?”

He took a while before answering, but she had never seen him smile like this. All the pain, the tortured look, they were gone. In front of her stood a brand new man, and his name was Roy Harper, “Remember what I told you yesterday?”

“I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it,” she confessed.

“The truth is, when I said it, I didn’t actually realize what I was saying. Until I got back to Nanda Parbat,” he grabbed her hand, his eyes shining and making her smile involuntarily, “Thea, I meant it. I have done so many terrible things, and yet as soon as you came into my life, you gave it meaning. You and your stubbornness and your desire to see your family once more. I envied you at first. I had forgotten what it was to have a purpose a long time ago, but now I see it. Thea, _you_ are my purpose.”

“What are you talking about?”, she asked, not sure what to do. She felt an immense desire to hug him, to succumb to the calling of his warm body, to get lost in his arms.

“I am going to help you. We are going to find your family. Together.”

She was speechless, “Are- are you serious!?”

“I know this is a little too rushed, and I understand it if you don’t want to come, but I had to-”

As her lips touched his, it felt like the whole world had vanished, and they were the only ones left. _Just for a little_. Her hand delicately ran through his hair, the kiss intensifying, his tongue exploring her mouth and craving her, begging her to make him feel whole again, “Of course I want to go with you, Roy,” she whispered when they finally pulled out, breathless, their foreheads against each other, “There is no one else I would rather go with.”

“Then I suggest you pack your bags, Mrs. Queen,” he teased with a joking smirk on his lips as he got up and placed a tender kiss on hers, “Because we have a long way to go.”

* * *

 

He wandered along the narrow streets of Corto Maltese with the expertise of a person who had lived there his whole life. People would pass through him in the street and almost run to the other sidewalk, and while he did not understand why, he liked it. Since he was a little child, he had had a charm, a sense of power, people didn’t usually underestimate. Some said it was his dark eyes, like too enchanting gemstones pulling people into the darkness with him. Whatever it was, his haughty posture and severe countenance had gotten him everything he had wanted until then. Everything, but _her_.

When he perceived John Diggle’s silhouette amongst the people sitting at the café’s tables, he walked towards him with firm steps, “Hello, John.”

“Why do you want to see her now?”

“Cutting to the chase, I see. I like that,” he adjusted his body in the visibly uncomfortable chair, “You see, I miss Felicity very much. She’s a nice girl. I want to see her again, that’s all.”

“That’s never _all_ with you,” he insisted, certainly not afraid of the man sitting right in front of him.

“When I chose you to be my assistant, Johnny, I didn’t know you would cause me so much trouble. Perhaps you would like me to say hello to Lyla when I meet her?”

“Lyla stays out of this.”

The refined man took off his sun glasses, letting the darkness of his eyes show as he punched the table with one quick move, “Well that’s the problem, _Diggle_ , she doesn’t. She, like you, does as I please. And right now, I wish to see Felicity Al Ghul. So you are going to call her, and you are going to tell her to meet you near the ravine. Because if you don’t, there is a fortress full of men who can break Lyla’s neck in a fraction of a second waiting for my commands.”

-

“Oliver, it’s John,” she declared as soon as she hung up the phone, “He told me he wanted to meet me at the ravine, but I think there’s something else going on. I think he might be in trouble.”

“Why would you think that? No one knows we are here,” but in that exact moment, he realized she was keeping something from him, “Felicity, what is going on that I don’t know of?”

“My father is in the island,” she took a deep breath, figuring out the best way to tell him, “He found me yesterday and made me an _offer_.”

“What kind of _offer_?”, he inquired.

“He wants me to be the next Ra’s Al Ghul, or he will kill you and everyone you love.”

Oliver ran his hands through his hair and faced the floor, unable to think clearly anymore. Only a few moments ago he had learned his sister was alive, only to be told there was the chance she would be killed once more?

“Oliver, I know this is too much for you to take in right now, but I will not let anything happen to you or your family. I promise.”

He faced her once more, now more concerned than angry, “At what cost?”

“It doesn’t matter,” she answered shortly, turning her back on him before she started walking towards the gate.

“Where are you going?”

“To meet John.”

“I am going with you.”

She turned to face him once more, stopping his moves with a firm hand on his chest, “It’s dangerous, Oliver. You have to stay here.”

“I am not letting you go there alone.”

“It’s okay. I can take care of myself.”

“I don’t doubt that,” and he gave her a subtle smile, “But I would never forgive myself if something happened to you.”

Without any idea of what to answer that, with her heart racing and her body getting warmer by the second, she returned his smile and continued to walk side by side with Oliver.

They got there soon. The place was deserted, and from the bottom of the ravine came the sound of the waves as they splashed against the rock. At first, they couldn’t see anyone, the sun blinding them with its glaring light, but as their eyes started to adapt to the clarity, Felicity distinguished two figures in the distance.

“Who is that next to Diggle?”, Oliver asked as he followed her steps towards the men.

“I have no idea,” and so they continued to walk, the others getting closer and closer until the shades were starting to look more like people and they could already see the tall, elegant man standing next to their friend.

“Who are you?”, Felicity asked as soon as they reached them, and the man seemed rather amused by the whole situation.

“So you don’t recognize me?”

_That tone._ It sent shivers down her spine just like it had 7 years ago. _“I just want to let you know… I was happy.”_   She was paralyzed, breathless, her body dangerously close to falling apart.

“So you two know each other?”, Oliver spoke, still confused, and even more so because Diggle didn’t seem surprised at all.

But Felicity didn’t hear him. In fact, she couldn’t hear or see anything other than… “Cooper?”, she asked quietly, approaching him with uncertain and trembling steps.

“I’ve missed you, my love,” he answered, stretching his arms to hold her as she almost fell right towards them.

“Cooper!,” she kept repeating, already crying, smiling still, her arms wrapped around him so tight he almost couldn’t breathe.

Diggle stepped aside, placing a hand on Oliver’s shoulder as he watched the other two, way too broken, way too quiet. He felt like ripping Felicity away from that stranger and have her wrapped around his own body. She might have done terrible things, but she had fought for him and he had forgiven her. He didn’t care what she had done, because she was not Felicity Al Ghul. She was Felicity Smoak. _His Felicity_.

“How?”, she whispered, still clinging to this other man.

“ _How_ is not important. What matters is I’m here, with you, at last,” he pulled away from her, caressing her face with his gentle touch, “I have missed you so much, Felicity,” but as his lips approached hers, she took a step back, her eyes immediately turning to Oliver, “Cooper, what are you doing?”

He seemed angry, “Well, I’m kissing you, I thought that was obvious. Unless,” and his gaze turned to the man in the back, the one she had walked side by side with, the one who carried her stolen heart, “Unless you don’t want to kiss me, Felicity. Unless you want to kiss _him_.”

The man started walking towards Oliver and as he did, Felicity realized that wasn’t Cooper. Cooper had died that day, right there in her arms, and she had mourned him for 7 years. No, that wasn’t the boy she had once loved. That was a twisted sociopath who had been reborn as something else, “Cooper, it’s not what you think,” and she grabbed his arm, but with an unwavering move of his body, he tossed her to the ground and continued his path.

Oliver instantly wanted to go to her, help her, tell her everything would be alright, but as he tried to run towards Felicity, the other man stopped him violently, so all he could do was scream, “Felicity, are you alright!?”

But as Cooper turned around, she recognized that smile without a shade of doubt. It was a League’s member smile. It was the smile her father had on his lips every time he killed or tortured an innocent person. The smile she had never been able to copy, “Oliver, don’t!”

Cooper punched him with such strength Oliver hit the ground with an intense _bang_ , allowing Diggle to run towards Felicity and help her get up, still screaming, “He’ll kill you!”

With blood staining his lips from the impact of Oliver’s fist, he kicked the man’s stomach, causing him to be dragged on the floor for a few feet, “Didn’t you hear your new girlfriend? I will kill you, boy.”

“Cooper, stop!,” she begged him, Diggle holding her between his arms and whispering her to stay calm, but how could she? He didn’t seem to hear her at all, “Why are you doing this?”

At these words, he kicked Oliver once more and turned his back on him, facing Felicity, “Why am I doing this?”, he laughed vehemently, “Do you have any idea how long I’ve waited to see you again, Felicity? Do you!?”

“I’m here now, Cooper, please don’t hurt him!”

“You don’t understand. I still love you, Felicity. You were supposed to love me too. You were supposed to have waited for me, you little bitch!,” he tried to slap her, but with one move of her wrist she made him fall on his leg and scream from the unbearable pain. She gave Diggle a desperate look, and he instantly figured out what she meant and rushed to help Oliver stand on his feet again.

“You were dead! My father killed you.”

He quit fighting against her grip, surrendering to her with a wicked laugh, “It was a bit more complicated than that.”

“This isn’t you, Cooper,” she whispered, tears rushing down her face and staining his shirt. She was standing over him as he lied on the ground, just like she had done 7 years ago. And every single day since that moment she had wished she could see him again, she could touch him once more, tell him how much she had loved him. And now that he was finally standing right beside her, all she could feel was an agonizing pain, “What has he done to you?”

“Oh, your father did nothing to me, Felicity. _You_ did.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Seven years ago, I was in love with the Demon’s daughter. And so I made a deal with him. I let him run a sword through my chest, and I laid beside him in a pain you cannot even fathom, because once you had chosen him, I could be released. Forever.”

“You- you wanted me to choose my father?”, she mumbled, the very event that had led her to this path being destroyed right in front of her.

“It was your _only_ task, Felicity. Who chooses a boyfriend instead of a father!?”

“I _loved_ you, Cooper!”

“And because of that, your father made me pay. He forced me to join his own little program. He forged me into this… this _thing_ , someone who doesn’t feel, someone who has no regrets. And so I spent my whole life searching for you, preparing you for when I came back, so you could return me to who I was. But you can’t, can you? Because you’re in love with him.”

“Do you think yours was the only life being destroyed on that day? I spent the last seven years mourning you, the love of my life! I did what I did, all those things, because you were gone. Because there was nothing left for me,” she yelled, “Why didn’t you come for me sooner!?”

Silence. Agonizing, painful silence. Until Felicity finally realized it: the angel hadn’t made a deal with the Demon. The Devil had.

“You didn’t come for me because that was the deal, wasn’t it? The deal you made with my father. He didn’t force you to join the League, did he?”

His smirk appeared once more, the evil sparkle in his eyes widening, “You were always a clever girl, weren’t you, Felicity?”

“You wanted to, but he wouldn’t let you unless… Unless you destroyed me.”

“You know, your problem always was you feeling too much. If you hadn’t fallen in love with me in the first place, none of this would’ve happened. I would have been able to join the League and you would have continued your miserable life of trying to escape the darkness that runs in your veins.”

“So you… _you never loved me_?”, her entire body froze, and there were no more tears left. There was nothing left. Just a sense of emptiness, like she didn’t belong anywhere.

“Well, it shouldn’t come off as that much of a shock to you, dear. How could someone ever love _you_?”

Felicity’s body tumbled to the side, the impact of her head hitting the stone ground causing Cooper’s body to slowly fade away, and she couldn’t see anything anymore, and there was no sound in the world but the one of her own regular breath, _just for a little_.

“Felicity?”, a voice called from an already non-existing reality, “Felicity, stay with me!,” it insisted, dragging her away from the peaceful darkness where she was no longer Felicity Al Ghul, but a nameless being, with no past, no present and no future. It was Oliver, reaching out for her, pulling her back.

“Oliver,” she let out at cost, nothing but a murmur, still in that sweet limbo between the reality and her dream.

“I’m here, Felicity. Just stay awake, okay?”

She wanted to tell him it was fine, she didn’t have to stay awake, she wanted to let go and fall into the quiet dream, deeper, deeper until there was no Nanda Parbat, no League, no Cooper. Deeper until she could no longer see the face of the people whose souls she had taken away. Deeper, deeper, _deeper_.

“Felicity, I can’t lose you,” she heard, a whisper somewhere very far away, a little too far away, and she wanted to tell him he wouldn’t, because you can’t lose a person who loves you like she loved him, but all that was left was darkness. Pure, peaceful, reassuring darkness. No Nanda Parbat, no League, no Cooper… _no Oliver_.


	6. Love Is A Poweful Weapon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Oliver, Diggle and Felicity are informed the League is holding Lyla captive, they immediately come up with a plane to save her, just as Ra's had expected them to. But as any plan that involves going to Nanda Parbat, nothing works out the way they expected it to, causing Felicity and Oliver to make life-changing decisions that will change the course of history forever.
> 
> While Oliver makes a surprising choice to prevent Felicity from taking on Ra's Al Ghul's mantle after an unforgettable night, Thea and Roy leave on a mission to save her brother, and the secret identity of Diggle and Lyla's master is revealed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, I owe you a HUGE apology for not posting for so long you probably don't even remember what this fic is about anymore. Will you please forgive me? *insert cute face here* If you want to know why it has took me so long to post this chapter, you will find the whole story here: http://www.twitlonger.com/show/n_1sm2dtk For those of you who don't have the patience to read this, which is weird since you're about to read the longest chapter of my fic so far, but moving on, if you don't want to read the whole thing, here's the long story short: I have finals this year so school has been absolutely crazy this past few weeks, and as many of you so gently pointed out, it should be my priority, and it is going quite well actually, so yey! On the other hand, because of that little creative crisis I told you about (and by the way, your comments were the most amazing thing I've ever read. Seriously, you are the ones giving me the strenght to continue and do better each time. I will never find the words to tell you just how much I love you, but trust me, it's a LOT!), I decided I should look at writing as more of a hobby and less of an obligation. So I started to write only when I felt inspired, and I worked really hard to improve my writing, which I think is part of why I am so proud of this chapter. I really put my whole into this. To make it up to you, I have some exciting news:
> 
> 1) This is the longest chapter of Danger EVER. Like, I never thought I could write such a long chapter. This is beyond my comprehension. So, technically, it's as if every Saturday I did not post, I still wrote a chapter, and now they've been put together in one big chapter. Trying too hard? I'm sorry, nevermind. But I really hope you have as much fun reading it as I did writing. I will not tell you how many Word pages this is, because I don't want to scare you, but it's big (under 30 though, don't be scared).  
> 2) THERE'S SMUT! And it's big you guys. Consider it my apologize gift to you all. Now if you are really sensitive, or dislike explicit sex scenes, or I don't know, have a problem with smut, then I advise you to skip that part, because I really pulled my A game there. For those of you who, like me, have the "the hotter the better" philosophy, prepare your chocolate and wine, because it's going to be fun. I really hope I don't disappoint you.  
> 3) This is my gift to you in every level really. Everything people have been telling me they like in this story, it is here. And what you've told me you wanted to know more about, it's here too. So as you can see, your feedback is that important to me! Don't ever think you should not comment, even if it is to tell me you don't like it, because it is in part because of your comments this chapter is my favorite since ever.
> 
> That being said, just have fun guys! And once more, I am sorry it took me so long. Finals are a few weeks ahead and after that I will be completely free to close myself in my room and write all day!

She blinked repeatedly, trying to get used to the clarity of the room. Ironic, she thought. She had spent so much time in the darkness, her eyes couldn’t adapt to the light anymore. It was as if she was condemned to spend a whole eternity in a dark room all by herself, and against all odds, there was something comforting about that. If she was alone, there would be no one for her to hurt.

Oliver was sitting next to her and as far as she could see, he was in bad shape. He hadn’t had a decent night sleep in a long time and if he had eaten anything the past few days, no one would be able to tell. The dark circles around his eyes were more prominent and he hadn’t shaved in a few days. Still, as she looked up to face his distant gaze, she couldn’t help but think he was the most handsome man she had ever seen. And knowing he had been there for – days? Weeks? She couldn’t know for sure – brought back a long lost feeling of peace.

“Hey,” she whispered softly, awaking him from his daydream. He immediately faced her, those bright blue eyes still the same, and she knew he wanted to tell her a thousand things, ask her a thousand questions, but instead he held her hand tenderly and answered, “Hey. I’m glad you’re awake.”

“Me too,” Felicity smiled back at him, “Is Cooper…?”

“Don’t worry about him right now. How are you feeling?”

She weighed the question for a little while. How _was_ she feeling, really? She had no idea, “Great.”

“That was a pretty hard stroke,” he joked.

“I’m used to it by now.”  That was meant to come out as a joke, but as soon as she said it she realized it absolutely didn’t. The weight of her actions throughout the time filled the room with an uncomfortable silent and she felt like she had ruined everything, and even though she desperately wanted to lighten the mood, or even explain herself, she couldn’t find the right words. So it was Oliver who came to rescue, “Felicity, I don’t blame you. For any of this. You’ve been through so much, and yet you still managed to keep that light inside of you. I don’t know if I could ever do that.”

She thanked him the best way she could, “Something tells me you would.”

“It’s not your fault.”

With a shared smiled, they concealed more than what could’ve been said in a thousand words, his hand still holding hers and his thumb caressing her fragile skin. “How long have I been like this?”

“Just a few days. After you passed out, me and Diggle brought you here and that guy vanished. Diggle has been looking for him all over the island, but still no sign of Cooper.”

“You won’t find him.”

“What do you mean?”

“The League, the first thing they are taught is to hide. If they don’t want to be found, then they won’t. And I don’t think Cooper wants to be found,” Felicity sighed. Those words cut her throat as she spoke. The little boy she had once loved so deeply, whom she had mourned and avenged, was now the man threatening her and the ones she cared about.  But deep down, she still cared about him. She still thought he was worth saving, because if he wasn’t… then why was she?

She remembered talking to her father about Cooper a few months after he had “died”. He had told her a story about how he had to get rid of the boy because he brought up her true self with that flicker of light in his eyes. He had said he had offered Cooper a place in the League and he had refused. And her whole life was based on that, on the memory of Cooper, on a lie. But she should’ve known better.

From day one, she knew Cooper was not like her. That sparkle in his eyes, it wasn’t light or pureness. All that time it had intrigued her, but she had never been able to understand it until a few days ago, when they met again. The faded flame was still there, as he destroyed everything she had ever taken for granted about herself. It was evil, pure darkness, his eyes bright with a twisted sense of joy from hurting people. _There are some people in this world whose light and purity remains intact, no matter what they’ve been through. And then, there are the ones whose souls are already too darkened to save._ Cooper’s, she could see it now, had always belonged to the darkness, no matter how much she had tried to save it. He always did have a mysterious charm about him, a part he wouldn’t let anyone take a glimpse of, not even her. And she had learned to love that, just like she had loved every single fiber of his being, because she was young and naive and still dreamed of a fairytale ending. She had been too innocent to see the danger right in front of her, and now the damage was done.

“Felicity!?”, a voice suddenly pulled her back from her mental ramblings. It was Oliver, his hand squeezing hers, “Are you okay?”

“I’m sorry, it’s just…”

“Look,” he took a deep breath, their eyes stuck on each other, “I can’t imagine how hard this is for you. I can tell you and Cooper have a history. But I won’t let him hurt you, Felicity. I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

“You don’t understand,” she sat straight, her back against the wooden headboard, not letting go of his hand, “He isn’t after me, Oliver. He is after you.”

“Why would he do that?”

“Because of my father.”

He frowned, his heart too pure to understand the complexity of her world, and she didn’t want to explain him, so she could protect him, protect him from her, from Cooper, from her father, from everything. She wanted to send him somewhere very far away where he could never be found, but she owed him the truth, “I think Cooper and my father are working together. It would make sense since they have all these years. When we were little, Cooper and I were best friends. Maybe more, I didn’t know for sure. And my whole life, every choice that I’ve made, everything that I’ve done… It was because of him, to avenge him. Because my father made me choose between them and then killed Cooper,” she paused, allowing it to sink in, “But it was all a lie. Cooper always wanted to be a part of the League, and so he made a deal with my father. Ruin my life, and he would get what he wanted.”

“Why would your father want to ruin your life?”

“This, me… I haven’t always been like this, Oliver. When I was a child, my heart was pure and filled with light. Cooper and my father took that from me because Ra’s Al Ghul’s daughter had to be like him. A wreck. Soulless.”

“Is that why you told me your name was Felicity Smoak, not Al Ghul?”

“Smoak was my mother’s last name. That is about the only thing I know about her. I figured since Felicity Al Ghul is a monster, Felicity Smoak could be… _something else_.”

She was expecting him to turn his back on her, to run away from that broken mess, to leave her just like everybody had, but instead, his eyes were filled with a tremendous compassion and love as he placed a hand on her shoulder, “Look, Felicity, I don’t care what your last name is and I don’t mind what you’ve done in the past. Whatever you did, you did for a reason. Cooper was wrong.”

“About what?”

He took a while answering, his eyes stuck on that woman, the one the world had turned its back on, the broken shell, the one who saw herself as a monster where he couldn’t see anyone but a hero, “When he said no one could ever love you.”

Her heart stopped at his words and his gaze softened, a tender smile on his lips that had her spinning madly around. And for a second, her heart was filled with hope once more. She was no longer Felicity Al Ghul, she was Felicity Smoak in that room with Oliver Queen, the man who would always rescue her, “Why would you say that?”

But just as he opened his mouth to answer her question, her prayer, Diggle walked into the room, “Am I interrupting something?”

Oliver’s eyes moved towards him and their hands slowly grew apart, “Did you find him?”

“Not exactly,” at the glances of confusion from the other two, he felt the need to explain, “Cooper and I have… something of a past. It’s not that I am helping him, it’s the contrary, actually. Me and Lyla, we’re the reason he hasn’t been able to find you sooner, Felicity. Your whole life, we’ve been looking after you.”

“I don’t understand. I have only known you for a few months,” she stated, the distrust evident in her voice.

“I know. We had clear instructions not to let you know.”

“Lyla? The woman who works for the League?”

“She is my wife, it was our way to make sure we could watch over you at all times.”

“Why? Who would want you to do that? Cooper?”

“This person… She wanted to protect you from Cooper. She wanted to protect you from that place. That’s why we pretended to work for him, to gain his trust and keep him from getting to you.”

“Who?”

“I can’t tell you, Felicity. I’m sorry.”

“Diggle, who!?,” she yelled, her eyes glaring with frustration.

“I can’t tell you! Besides, something happened.”

“What do you mean? Is it Cooper?,” Oliver finally spoke, standing up to help Felicity get back on her feet.

“I think he’s got Lyla,” he sighed, the muscles on his neck contracting due to the tension, “I couldn’t know for sure. All I could hear was some League men talking, but I could swear I heard his name.”

“Oh God…,” she whispered, and as her tone softened, Diggle knew it was serious. He wasn’t just playing around.

 “What? Do you think he is going to hurt her?”

“Oliver, you don’t know Cooper…,” John replied with fear in his voice, “Cooper is capable of anything.”

“I think he’s working with my father. I just don’t know why,” Felicity sighed, the guilt never allowing her a moment to rest, “Diggle, I’m sorry. This is all my fault. I should’ve taken his offer.”

“That’s not an option,” Oliver interrupted, “There has to be another way.”

“I have to do this. I’ve ruined too many lives, let me save Lyla’s.”

“Not by giving up your own!”

“You don’t know them, Oliver…”

“Could you two please stop telling me that? I don’t know your father or Cooper, fine. But they don’t know me either, or Diggle, or even you, Felicity. We have to save her.”

“That’s what I’m doing, Oliver! If I turn myself in, then they’ll let her go,” she revealed. She was ready to sacrifice herself. For the people who had looked after her for her whole life, for John’s wife, for Oliver. She couldn’t think of a better way to surrender, but they wouldn’t let her off that easily.

“Nothing is worth a soul, Felicity. We’ll figure something out,” Diggle reassured her, and she was mesmerized at his kindness, because he was the one who needed reassuring above all. They stood silent for a few minutes, each trying to come up with a hundred ideas to save Lyla. Until Felicity thought of something. It was risky, yes, and borderline crazy, but it was about time she risked her life for someone instead of ripping others apart, “I have an idea. It’s dangerous, but I think it might work…”

* * *

 

Donna Smoak had always thought of herself as a resourceful woman. Yes, being married to the Demon’s Head helped, but even before that she had friends, connections, people who would have done anything for her. Marrying Ra’s, it had destroyed it all.

Sixteen years before they met, her father had been marked for murder by the League because of his betrayal. He had been a loyal League member until he fell in love with her mother and gave all that up. Donna watched as her whole family was slaughtered, hiding in the wardrobe without a sound, not being able to cry or scream or beg for help. Since then, the four year old girl had never been the same, and her whole life was dedicated to finding the person behind her family’s murder. But life can sometimes play tricks on us and somehow, she saw herself end up by her family’s murderer side. He thought she was a fearless, interesting woman, he had told her. He needed a heir and she had a burning desire of being his ruin, and so, in one of the most wrong marriages in history, they promised to be together for all eternity.

That same night, by League costume, they had to sleep together. And even though it was the worst night of her life, from that night came something magical, something that would change her life forever: her daughter. When she first learned she was pregnant, Donna hated herself. She hated the world for doing that to her and making her carry the child of the man she hated the most. But as the days went by, the little girl growing inside her became the one who kept her company in the cold winter nights, the one listening to her bedtime stories and painful realities, and she began to love her like she had never loved anyone. That little human was her entire life, and for nine months, despite everything that surrounded her, she was the happiest woman on earth. And then Felicity was born.

She was a beautiful baby, with big blue eyes and a lovely smile which could heat the coldest of hearts. Donna took care of her as if she were the most precious diamond ever to exist, but Ra’s didn’t seem very pleased. He used to say the kid didn’t need that much love, she should be in touch with the League’s activities soon. After all, she would be the one taking on his mantle. Her mother vehemently refused, but what could she do? Her love for her daughter was not enough to protect her, and one day, two men in a brown uniform dragged her away from Felicity. She begged Ra’s to at least allow her to stay until she was four, until she was old enough to know who her mother had been, but all he granted her was a moment to say goodbye.

_“My beautiful girl,” she whispered, her eyes already wet knowing that would be the last time they both laid eyes on each other. But Felicity, the innocent, happy, tiny baby, smiled back at her as if the world was exactly as it should be, “Mummy is going away for a while, okay baby? But I’ll be back soon, I promise,” a tear fell on the child’s hand as she held her tighter against her chest, “You know I will never leave you, don’t you, baby? No matter how long I have to wait, I will see you again. Just… please, Felicity, my love, promise me something,” her tears were now uncontrollable and the little girl sensed something was not right. The fact that the last thing she ever head was the sound of her daughter crying in her arms was worse than ending her own life, but she had to be stronger than that. She had to be stronger, for her daughter. For Felicity. “Just promise me, my daughter, that you won’t forget me. I love you so much, Felicity Smoak. Please, don’t forget your mother. Please…,” she kept repeating, her daughter crying in her arms, until more men, terrible men, soulless men, ripped her from Donna, leading the mother’s weakened, trembling, defeated body outside._

Years later, she heard of a couple who had just gotten back from war. She had spent every day since that moment searching for the people with the exact qualifications for the job she was offering. Many had come for the job interview, none had stayed. Until them.

_John and Lyla Diggle were two young soldiers who knew what it was like to end a life and yet, their love had survived that feeling of pain and desolation. She had known about them from a friend in the army, and as desperate as she was, anyone who seemed remotely interested was good enough for her. When they first met, in a Starling City square under the tiring winter rain, she knew they were the right people. She wouldn’t be able to say how or why, but they were. And so, without hesitation, Donna told the couple everything and put her daughter’s life in their hands, “What I am asking, it is more than saving a life. That is easy. You lead the person to the right path and they can go from there. What I ask from you, is watching a little girl’s life be ruined and not doing anything about it. Watching her cry at night and not comforting her. Wanting to save her, but not being able to.”_

_There was a moment of silence, and a few minutes after, it was Lyla who spoke, “Look, I can’t imagine what you’ve been through, but if everything you just told us is true, then why not just go for her? Why let her suffer her whole life?”_

_“Because right now, is not when she needs me most. Her father is one of the most powerful men in this world. As much as I would give anything to stop him from destroying my daughter’s life, I can’t. He will always find another way. That is why Felicity doesn’t need me now that her life is about to fall apart. She will need me when it has, and she can no longer recognize the face staring back at her in the mirror. She will need me to know she is loved. Because love is a very powerful weapon.”_

_More agonizing silence. The rain kept on falling, regardless of what happened in the world, or in that square, washing away the fear, the pain, the despair, “What would we have to do?”_

_“You will have to protect her. Look out for her, and be my eyes and ears. I will tell you what to do. You may not be able to interfere with her life, but you can spear her great misery.”_

_“So we’ll be like guardian angels?”_

_“Yes, that’s exactly what you will be. And in time, you’ll see it is the best job you could ever have chosen. Felicity is an easy little girl to love. There’s this sparkle of light within her… Please, don’t ever let that go away.”_

_“You can count on us,” Lyla grabbed her hand, future mother to broken mother, with a smile which somehow made everything better._

_“We will take care of your daughter, Donna. I promise.”_

-

They had gotten there at last. At first, watching as Roy contacted Maseo, who contacted some other person, and God knows who else, she didn’t think they could make it. Run from the world’s most lethal people? That was no easy job. But as soon as Roy held her hand while she was kneeled, bend over a ridiculous small bag which she was packing with an unusual precision, she knew at least she had him. She would always have him.

“What’s wrong?”, he whispered in her ear, pulling her face closer to his chest as he kneeled by her side.

“I’m nervous, that’s all.”

“Because you heard me talk to Maseo? He’s a good man, Thea. He’ll help us.”

“He also ran a sword through me, according to you,” she pointed with just a hint of contempt.

“He did it to save your life, don’t you see?”

She wiggled uncomfortably, now sitting on the floor with her legs crossed so they could stand face to face as she tenderly ran her fingers through his callous hands, “What I do see, Roy, is that these people… They are not exactly _nice_. And you don’t belong with them…”

He immediately pulled his hands back, in an instinctual gesture of self-protection, those enormous walls surrounding him once more, “You don’t know what I have done-”

“No, Roy, I don’t, you’re right!,” she yelled, reaching out for him, her hands desperate to hold his once more, “But what I do know is that the man I’m in love with, he would never do anything bad.”

He stood silent for a moment, his deep blue eyes penetrating hers, “The man you’re in _love_ with?”

“C’mon, don’t act like you didn’t know it already,” she joked, pushing his shoulder in a playful way.

“Thea, you… You don’t know what it means to me. Please don’t say that unless you truly mean it.”

“But I do, Roy. I do. Don’t you see? You saved my life, not that man you talk about. You kept me going and you helped me when I was lonely. You gave up everything for me!,” and their fingers were finally intertwined again.

“You saved mine, it was the least I could do.”

“Look, I know how you blame yourself for all the things you’ve done before. But I’m sure whatever you did, you had a reason. And I’m okay with that.”

“It’s not that simple…”

“Actually, it is. I forgive you, Roy,” she sighed, her hand making its way to caress his face, “But I need you to forgive yourself as well.”

“I love you, Thea Queen.”

“And I love you, Roy Harper.”

And so they had arrived to this quirky little island called Corto Maltese, which, according to the Chinese man, was where her brother and two other people were hiding. She was intrigued by the other two and their identities at first, but at the thought of seeing her brother once more, she let it go in a blink of an eye. She had given a lot of thought to the question of whom she should go see first: her mother or her brother.  But deep down, she knew who needed her most. Yes, Moira was in pain, but she had known her brother since forever. She knew the way he thought, how he felt, and how terrified he must have been after that day. Ever since they were little, Oliver always wanted to protect her. He would be horrified if something happened to her, even if it was just a scratch or a bruise from hitting some piece of furniture.

_“It hurts, Ollie! It hurts really bad!”_

_“Don’t worry, Speedy, I’m here. I’m not letting anything bad happen to you. I promise.”_

Yes, he needed her the most. And so she had travelled miles to comfort him, to tell him everything would be okay, because she was there. And she would never leave his side again. But he wasn’t there.

“What do you mean they are not in here? They have to!”

“Thea, we’ve looked everywhere. They’re not here.”

“Do you think maybe this Maseo guy fooled you?”

He scratched his head in reflection, but his answer was firm and certain, “No, we wouldn’t do that. The only explanation is that they left without telling anyone.”

She ran her hands through her head in a brief sigh, “Why would my brother leave? Why would he be here in the first place, actually? And who are these two people that you keep talking about?”

“Thea, I understand you have a lot of question, but now is really not the time…”

“Oh, it is the time,” she assured as she walked straight towards him, her little finger pointed at him, “It is exactly the time. This is not some random guy we’re talking about, Roy, this is my brother. You promised you would help me find him. I deserve to know, dammit! What is going on!?”

“It’s complicated… Your brother, he…”

“What?”

There were no appropriate words, as he soon figured out, so he tried to explain her the best he could, because he owed it to her, “You know how your brother started seeing that girl, Felicity, a while ago?,” she nodded, “Do you remember when you were brought to Nanda Parbat? It was around the same time.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Felicity is the daughter of the man in the mantle, the one who wanted you killed, Thea.”

She was speechless for a moment, trying to assimilate the information, but soon a wave of panic rushed through her entire body, causing her to raise her tone, “And you let him be with this maniac evil woman!?”

“The maniac evil woman was the one who decided to spare your life, Thea. And she is helping Oliver.”

“How is that possible?”

“Felicity’s whole life, it’s… More than you could ever imagine. Not even I know the whole story. But believe me when I tell you, she has a good heart. Everything she’s ever done, it wasn’t because she wanted to. It was because of her father.”

“What does it matter?”

“I am no better than her.”

“Roy, you have nothing to do-”

“Thea, I do!,” he yelled, “We both have done terrible things, things we regret, things we wish we could forget. But you forgave me. And she is no different. If you can forgive me, you can forgive Felicity. None of this was her fault. She, just like your brother, are the victims of something much greater than them.”

“Do you trust her?”

“Yes.”

“Then I do too,” she let out, her eyes shining from such a wide range of emotions she couldn’t even comprehend it, “Now how do we find them?”

“I’m afraid it’s not that simple.”

“Roy…,” the panic wave, the fear, it came back, “What do you mean? Do you think something happened to them!?”

“I think they wouldn’t just run if they didn’t have a reason to.”

She slowly let herself sunk to the ground, her hands covering her face and the despair in her eyes. She hadn’t asked for any of that. Neither had Oliver. And now he was out there, somewhere, probably in danger, and she wanted to protect him more than anything, but she couldn’t. For the first time since it all had happened, Thea Queen felt useless. Powerless. Nothing.

“I’m sure they’re fine, Thea. Felicity can take care of herself and they are with Mr. Diggle, Oliver’s new bodyguard. It’s probably nothing,” he soothed her with a kiss on her forehead, but he wasn’t so sure. Felicity Al Ghul wouldn’t run away for _probably nothing_. “Here, listen to me,” he lifted her chin, forcing Thea to face him, “You’ll stay right here while I go to the bedroom and check for any clues as to where they might have gone. Who knows, maybe they just found somewhere else to hide. Somewhere safer,” she needed his smile so much she didn’t even notice how fake it was. It was good enough.

“Alright,” she let out, and watched as he got up and headed towards the bedroom. What she did not listen to, was the phone call he made as soon as he closed the door behind him.

“Where the hell are they, Maseo!?”

“They are not in there?”

“Don’t play that game with me. Why did you lie? Is it a trap? Is the League coming for us right now?”

“I did not know, I swear.”

And even though Roy knew he was being honest, he also realized Maseo was hiding something, “But you have a suspicion about what is going on, don’t you?”

“I know very little.”

“Well tell me what you know!”

“Felicity refused our master’s offer to take her rightful place as Heir to the Demon,” every fiber on Roy’s body forced him to correct that sentence. He was not _their_ master anymore. That life was over for him. Forever. But now was not the time, and so, for Thea, for himself, he allowed the other man to continue, “I believe there will be consequences.”

“What _kind_ of consequences?”

“Ra’s has made a woman prisoner, a League woman. I believe she is somehow related to the man who is with Felicity and Oliver Queen.”

“So what?”

“All I know is Ra’s is counting on them to come to save her.”

“He wants to set a trap for _them_? For her? His own daughter?”

Maseo remained silent. It shouldn’t surprise him as much as it did, he figured. Ra’s Al Ghul wasn’t known to be a merciful man, much less the paternal kind.

“What are _you_ going to do?”

“I can’t do anything. I owe Ra’s my life. I have already done everything I could by warning you,” he confessed, but his voice betrayed him. He too was tired of all this. They all were.

“I need one last thing from you. I need you not to tell Ra’s we’re coming.”

“You know I can’t do that…”

“Maseo, this is Felicity we’re talking about. I know you care for her. So please, just do the right thing for once. Even if it is the last thing you do.”

There was nothing but the agonizing melody of a tense silence for a while. And then, “You must hurry. Ra’s plan is… somewhat infallible.”

And even before the words reached his ear, Maseo had already hung up. He left the room without a single noise, just like he had learned during his time with the League. Ironic, wasn’t it? To be using League training not to disturb the peace of the one who had rescued him from that same darkness. But she deserved peace, and if he could give it to her, even if just for a moment, then he would. In fact, she deserved so much more than that. Than _him_. She deserved a good life, with a good man, children, a house in the suburbs with a white picket fence, a stable job. And he wanted her to have all that, more than anything. He wanted her to find someone who could make her happy, happier than he ever could. But how could he ever let go of the only piece of him he truly loved?

“Thea?”

She instantly knew something was wrong by the look on his face. Turning around on her knees, she waited for him to speak. “Something has happened,” he continued, “Mr. Diggle has someone related to him in the League, a woman. And Felicity’s father, he has her.”

“Are you saying…?”

“They want to save her. Thea… They are probably already on their way to Nanda Parbat by now.”

She took a deep breath, and opposing to what he had expected, she did not fall to the floor, or cry, or did anything at all. She stared right at him, and he watched as a spark ignited deep within her soul. A fire forged out of the goodness of her heart, her love for her brother, her sense of justice and her hate towards those who had hurt her, Oliver, and deep down, himself.

“Then what are we waiting for?”

“Thea, you’ve been there before, you know what they did to you and your brother… It’s dangerous.”

“Look, Roy, I know you’re worried about me, and I love you for that, but you can’t stop me from doing this and you know that. I don’t care what it takes, I will move Heaven and Earth to save my brother… to save _you_. This reign of terror, this cloud of blood hovering over our heads because of that man and the horrors he’s committed, it ends today.”

“Thea…”

“I will do anything for Ollie, Roy. Now you can come with me, or I can go alone. Either way, _I’m doing this_.”

“Fine, but we will have to walk a lot, because we must land the helicopter somewhere they can’t detect our arrival. The night will give us the cover we need to avoid the League’s men”, he got up and opened the front door in one quick, decisive move, grabbing the bags they had brought with them and silently calling her. “So that means you’re coming?,” she asked while standing on her feet once more, her desire to save her brother burning so bright there was no more pain, despair, weakness. Now she had a purpose. Now she was going to be as strong as she should’ve been from the start.

“I understand why you’re doing this. But Thea, you’re the only thing I have left. You’re my entire life, the good part of me, and I have never loved someone the way I love you. I’m sorry, but there is no way I would let you go on this suicidal mission all on your own.”

She threw her arms over his shoulders, her eyes tearing and her smile so truthful, so refreshing, like a drug he couldn’t get enough of. “Roy Harper, you are my hero.”

“You don’t need a hero, Thea. You already are one,” he replied in a whisper, their lips pulling them closer together due to some force stronger than gravity. As they touched, their bodies were set on fire and a feeling of certainty ran deep within their veins. His dry lips against her moist ones, his darkness against her light, everything just seemed to fit together like the two final pieces in a puzzle. And lost in an island in the middle of nowhere, about to go on a suicidal mission to rescue her brother from a darkness greater than she had ever contemplated, with the man who had given his life up for her, Thea felt, in her soul, she was exactly where she wanted to be.

* * *

 

Oliver had never thought of himself as a masochist, but there was really no other adjective to characterize his behavior as he silently walked through the desert to face the dreading castle for the third time. It had been Felicity’s idea and she knew the League and its traditions better than anyone else in the world, and even so he couldn’t help but feel like he was walking straight to his death. All of theirs.

Diggle approached him from the back while Felicity led the way with the expertise of a ruthless machine, “Is everything alright?”

“Yeah… Why do you ask?”

“You never seemed particularly excited about this idea.”

He found the statement rather absurd. Did any of them, really? Yes, it was probably the only way to get Lyla back, but it didn’t make it _okay_. Still, he shrugged before lying on the floor as fast as he could at Felicity’s sign. Two men with the League’s clothes, armed with more or less seven weapons, from knives to swords, walked right past them, ignoring the three people hiding behind a rock in the middle of nowhere. As soon as they disappeared on the horizon, she got back on her feet and her steps widened, “The closer we get, the more men there will be. We have to move fast.”

He thought for a moment the whole situation had made Diggle take his mind off the subject, but he was a soldier, after all. Dangerous situations were his everyday meal and the possibility of being caught was certainly not enough to make him unfocused.

“I’m just not sure this is the best we could come up with.”

“Do you have any better ideas?”

“Well, _no_ , Diggle, I don’t, but that doesn’t mean I’m okay with Felicity-”, he interrupted himself to take a glance at the breathtaking woman in front of him who had been through so much already. Her marvelous body wiggled with every measured step, and her hair, trapped in a ponytail, was in perfect sync with her every move. Even tugged in black trousers and a beige jacket, there was something about her body that could turn heads as she walked by, and even though that was not necessarily good at the moment, he still couldn’t stop staring at her, “I don’t want anything bad to happen to her,” he finally admitted with a sigh.

“Oliver, I know how much you care about her, but Felicity knows how to take care of herself. She’ll be fine.” And just like that, the conversation came to an end and both walked silently for the rest of the way.

Felicity’s plan wasn’t dangerous because of the men they might walk into on their way to Nanda Parbat. The danger came later, as just a few steps away from the imposing entrance to the fortress Felicity crawled away from their hiding spot and with the most powerful posture either of the men had ever seen, yelled, “I am Felicity Al Ghul, Heir to the Demon, and I demand you to step back!”

It was important that no one saw them until they got there, because otherwise they would find their intentions suspicious. But since the plan had went spectacularly well, just seconds earlier, Felicity had been able to chain Oliver and John, who were now walking a few steps behind her with their heads down as a sign of submission. The guards gave them a frightened look and immediately did as she said, and turning into a whole different person than the one Oliver had gotten to know the past few days, Felicity guided them through the stone castle, side by side with two of Ra’s inner circle assassins, with the disquieting walk of a person who knows the place like the back of their hand, but it still doesn’t feel like home. She had warned him about this, but no matter how many times she did, it still broke his heart to see her become the person she herself hated the most.

When the three of them entered the room, the two men who had accompanied them until then left with one gesture of Ra’s hand. It was the first time Oliver had actually seen Ra’s Al Ghul in person, and even though he seemed every bit as terrifying as Felicity had described, in that moment, there was not a person in the room fearing him.

“I see you listened to me after all, my child.”

“I figured there is no point in _playing good girl_ when you are the Daughter of the Demon. The game is rigged,” she firmly stated, and then pointed to the men kneeled behind her, “And as a sign of my loyalty, I have brought what you asked from me.”

“Yes, I see,” he took a few steps around her and towards the two who stood behind, “Oliver Queen.”

Oliver lifted his head and stared right at those empty eyes, but remained silent. The older man took a glance at Diggle and returned to his initial position, facing his daughter, “Bringing Oliver Queen to me, it must have been hard to you. I see how much you care for him.”

She took a deep breath, letting go of the last thing that tied her to Felicity Smoak as she delivered her answer without a single drop of emotion, “The Heir to the Demon does not choose love, or happiness. Oliver Queen has no place in my life.”

There was a moment of silent as Ra’s examined her semblance to make sure she was telling the truth, but Felicity Al Ghul had learned how to lie with deathly precision a long time ago. She had been such a great student, she could even lie to herself and believe it was the truth. Oliver Queen really had no place in her life, because he didn’t belong to that world. And if the last time she ever saw him was the moment she saved Lyla’s life, she could live with that. She would have to.

As many times as Oliver had mentally pictured that exchange, the look on his eyes as Felicity spoke could never be described. It was pain in its purest form, as raw as it came to the world when the first human being felt it. Not only because he knew what she was giving up to do that, and the reason why she was, but because after that day, that statement would become true. Oliver Queen would no longer have a place in Felicity Al Ghul’s life, and his Felicity Smoak would vanish along with every bit of happiness and purpose she had brought to his life.

“I do, however, have a request in order to complete my ascension to Ra’s,” she spoke once more, her voice still cold as ice.

“And what would that be?”

“I want you to release Lyla Diggle from League’s duty. Let her and her husband return home, they have nothing to do with this.”

“Very well, I will grant you your final wish. But they must leave immediately.”

Every single one of them froze. That was _not_ a part of the plan, at all. Diggle and Lyla were supposed to be the ones who would help her escape the League from the inside, but she should’ve seen it. Her father was smarter than that, and just like that, her worst fear became a reality as two masked men entered the room and grabbed John’s body against his will.

“Felicity!,” he yelled, momentarily able to fight the tight grasp, “We will come for you, I promise!”

She turned slowly to face him, the man she had grown so fond of, now able to live happily with his wife because of her sacrifice, and smiled, “I’ve made my choice. Be happy in yours, John.”

“What of Oliver Queen?,” his father’s voice interrupted her silent happiness as, for the first time in her life, she felt proud of her actions. Her eyes wandered through the room until she gained courage to rest them on Oliver Queen’s kneeled body. He looked up to her, begging her not to give up on them, on herself, but it was too late, “I would like a moment to say goodbye.”

“The sun is setting now. You have one night, in the morning Oliver Queen will be taken home never to return again,” and once more, with a slight gesture, two men appeared to unchain Oliver and guide him to his room as Felicity walked towards hers all alone, as she would be for the next hundreds of years.

The night slowly fell on the desert, making bright the golden sand and intensifying the marvelous blue of the sky in the land of nowhere. And bended over a balcony, an astonishing blonde woman in a flying red dress who looked like a princess being held prisoner in the castle tower contemplated the horizon in hope it would give her peace of some sort. But her peace wasn’t in some beautiful landscape, not even in the luxury of her bedroom or the fact that she was finally reunited with her home. Her peace knocked briefly at the door before opening it just enough to peak in, “Hey.”

“Hey,” Felicity replied with a faded smile as she turned and invited him in, “I didn’t think you’d want to see me after what I did there.”

“That wasn’t you, and I know it.”

“Do you? Because I am not sure…,” she sighed.

“So your plan is to sit here and cry over your problems instead of solving them?”

She felt attacked and a flicker of rage shone deep inside her, “You have a better plan? You don’t know _anything_ about the person I am.”

“Then show me,” he teased, taking one step towards her and placing his hands on her waist.

“What are you doing?”

“You may think I don’t know anything about you, but you are wrong. I know how broken you are because of what you did in the past, and I know how terrified you are to stay here for the rest of your life. But I won’t let you run from those feelings this time,” he closed the distance between them just a little bit more, and she could feel her body starting to burn, a fire growing between her legs and spreading through her veins until it reached her fingertips, and she knew if she didn’t do anything about it real soon, she wouldn’t be able to control herself. And so she slightly rested them against his arm, but at the touch of his skin it burned even more.

“Felicity, none of this is your fault.”

“You don’t understand,” she lowered her head, but with his fingers on her chin, he forced her to look at him. _Stupid high difference. Stupid muscles._

“I do. You don’t think you deserve happiness, or love, but you are wrong. Earlier today, I told you Cooper was wrong, and you asked me why. Well…,” he sighed, cupping her face with his hands as a grin filled his lips, and she noticed a little sparkle in his eyes which had never been there before, “I love you, Felicity Al Ghul.”

Her heart froze and the entire world stood still for a second. He couldn’t say that and expect her not to do anything about it. On her tiptoes, she joined their lips together with a moist kiss, her mouth open and his tongue swirling inside, knowing her, begging her to go deeper, harder. His hands found their way towards her ass and grabbed her firmly, causing Felicity to smother a moan that was starting to gain form in her throat. With a quick move, she jumped on his lap and he threw her on the bed. She found herself thinking it was way bigger than they needed it to be, and as Oliver crawled to meet her mouth once more with a passionate kiss, a teasing smirk appeared on his lips, “Are you really thinking about that right now?”

“What?”

“The bed,” he sighed, adjusting his body on top of hers and feeling her hardened nipples on his chest even through all those clothes he desperately wanted to rip off of both of them.

“Did I really say that out loud? Oh God, I’m sorry, I-“

“Felicity?”

“Yeah?”

“Shut up,” he ordered, and she wanted to nod her head, but he put a hand around her neck, preventing her from move, and his lips furiously attacked hers, like an animal, biting her tongue and sucking the fragile, sweet skin of her neck until her breath hitched.

He struggled with the buttons on the back of her dress, but they were too much and his urge to have her skin against his was not controlable anymore. Stepping away just enough to move his arms, he ripped off her dress with one move as she involuntarily screamed his name. “I’ll buy you another one,” he whispered in her ear.

“I don’t want another one. I want _you_ ,” and wiggling her body under him to rub her tights against his, she felt his boner getting bigger, harder, for her. Felicity ran her hands through his back, her nails scratching his skin as he placed kisses all over her: her lips, her ears, her neck, and he kept going down, so close to her breasts, she dug her nails deeper into him, but just as he reached her bra, his hands masterfully removing it and tossing it somewhere on the floor,  along with the once perfect red dress, he pulled away, standing up. She felt a mix of rage and fear, but all those feeling only intensified the heat deep inside her until she no longer had control over her body, calling for him desperately.

“You remember chaining me?” _Why the hell was he bringing that up? It had been part of the plan, and really, why would that matter right-_ Suddenly, Oliver grabbed the chains. _Those_ chains. Where he had been keeping them, or how he had remembered to do so, she had no idea, but the idea seemed too pleasant to care about such details, “Well, I did not like it,” he slowly walked towards the bed, his eyes always stuck on her sculptural naked body, “Why don’t we see if you do?”

She reached out her arms instantly as he chained her and placed her hands above her head, “Now you will not move, are we clear?,” he asked, quickly taking off his shirt before their skin was touching once more. She nodded, but apparently that wasn’t enough, “Tell me you understand, Mrs. Smoak.”

“I understand.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t quite hear you.”

“I understand, Mr. Queen,” she rectified with a smirk on her lips, “You’re a bit of a control freak, aren’t you?”

“When I’m done with you,” he answered as his hands ran through her entire body, “You’ll be thankful for that.”

His tongue entered her mouth once more, exploring every bit of it, sucking hers, running through her teeth and moving violently while his dick, pressed against her, craved her body harder and harder. It then made its way down her neck, until her nipple. As she felt the moist in contact with her burning breasts, Felicity couldn’t help but let out a whine, and her first instinct was to grab his body, clinging to him, but she couldn’t. He kept licking her, giving her hard nipples tender nibbles and sucking at her creamy flesh, causing her to whimper under him, her legs wiggling to hold him between her tights.

He lifted his head to glance at her only to see her look of despair and need, “What do you want?”

She sighed, rolling her eyes, “Oliver, you _know_ what I want. Stop being an ass.”

“I want to hear you say it.”

With her eyes still begging for him, Felicity hissed, “I want you deep inside me, Oliver.”

His hand left her chest to slowly wander through her body, “Tell me where.” His fingertips touched the skin of her flat stomach, “Down,” she whispered. He lowered his hand, taking off her red lace panties and placing it on her inner tights. “Oh c’mon Oliver, stop playing games!,” she begged, her back arching and her heat was so close to Oliver’s face he had to dig his nails on her tights to control his urge to fuck her, causing her to let out a little scream of pleasure.

“You want me here?,” he asked, quickly sticking a finger inside her. Her breath hitched as he moved it back and forth, deeper each time, and her insides started clutching against him. “Oliver!,” she moaned, throwing her head back. He added another finger, intensifying his moves, making them quicker, hitting her as deep as he could. His tongue approached her clit and he sucked at it gently, while his fingers kept moving inside her faster than she ever thought was possible. She was moaning, screaming, gasping until, minutes later, her entire body collapsed around his fingers as she came all over his fingers and his tongue, the orgasm sending shivers down her spine and his dick throbbing from the sensation, too tight in those skinny jeans. “God, Oliver,” she closed her eyes, allowing the feeling to wash her over.

“What, you think we’re over?,” he teased with his stupid, perfect little grin.

“Not a chance,” she whispered back with a smirk, “But you should definitely untie me now, _Mr. Queen_.”

His hands quickly removed the chains and he kissed the bruises around her wrists softly, “Someone was moving a little too much.”

“Someone is going to regret that,” she replied, turning them around so she could be on top now. If he was a control freak, she had spent her whole life refining the technique.

She ran her hands through his chest, his abs, feeling his sweat on her fingertips and her tongue tasted her own moist in his mouth. After a little trouble with the zipper on his jeans, she finally pulled them off as quickly as she could, her mouth immediately going down on his body, licking him from the neck, to the breathtaking abs, until the boxers which hid his hardened cock. With a gentle bite, she pulled those back as well, kneeling on his legs and inspecting the handsome body under her for what seemed like an eternity to him, but as soon as his hands crawled to rest on her tights, she moved like a cheetah on top of him, her body wiggling with the talent of a feline, her hands grasping his wrists as her tongue went deeper on his mouth. Her voluminous hair fell off her head and acted as their own private curtain as his hands caressed her back and palmed her ass.

Felicity went down on him once more, lowering her body to make sure she rubbed it entirely against his erection before her lips gently licked at the top of his cock, tasting the pre-cum. He growled at the feeling of her tongue, but it was when she took him whole in his mouth he couldn’t help but scream her name, digging his fingers in the sheets, “God, Felicity!”

She smiled from a few inches away, driving him crazier than he ever thought she could. All those times he had watched her body move as she walked, as she sat, as she did pretty much anything, all those times he had imagined this, it was nothing compared to that. She sucked at his dick, swallowing the liquid that came out of it, deeper every time until his cock was throbbing in her mouth. She felt him on the verge of coming, but instead of continuing, removed it from her mouth and crawled back to him once more.

“Fuck, why the hell did you stop!?”

“No need to be rude, is there, _Mr. Queen_?”

He rolled his eyes, his hands on her back and his cock perfectly aligned with her entrance, “You’re right, it’s not,” and he stroke her hard, as deep as she could, letting himself drown in her deepths, “ _Mrs. Smoak_.” She moaned loudly as he started moving quickly, each thrust hitting her harder, deeper, her back arching and her breath hitching as she carved her nails on his soft skin.

With each stroke, she felt as if he stole one more piece of her, of her heart, of her life, of her happiness. She was only complete when she was with him, who she had been born to be with, because their bodies belonged to each other and fit together like pieces of a puzzle. Her hips wiggled, encouraging him to go even deeper, and as he did, her moans and screams filled the room and she was pretty sure everyone in Nanda Parbat knew exactly what they were doing, but she couldn’t care less.

Moving her body so her back would rest on his bended knees, Felicity rode him as fast as she could, following his every thrust, her hands grabbing his ass to regain balance as he fucked her with every strength he had left, the rhythm intensifying, becoming a frenzy of lust.

“Felicity, please! Come for me!,” he begged, the hunger on his eyes obliterating her own vision. And so she did. With one final stroke, he slammed her as hard as he could, pulling himself inside her until there was no way to go deeper, and they both came at the same time, panting and growling as she collapsed once more, this time right in his arms. Still inside her, he could feel her clenching as waves of pleasure ran through both their bodies.

Felicity clung to him, her orgasm still running deep in her veins, both trying to catch their breathes as he reluctantly pulled out, his hands running through her back in a tender caress, “I love you, Oliver Queen. You will always be a part of my life.”

He remembered the words she had said to him so many lifetimes ago, when she thought he was asleep, and he thought she had killed his sister. “ _But I never had someone to share that pain with, and you do. You have me. You will always have me, Oliver.”_ She rolled over to rest her head on his chest and he ran his hand through her hair just like she had done to him that night, “And you will always be mine, Felicity Smoak.”

Had she heard him, she would probably have smiled as genuinely and happily as he did while saying those exact words, but she had fell asleep a few seconds ago, their legs intertwined and her eyelids heavy from the past hour. And so he covered her fragile, yet lethal body with the soft sheets and allowed himself to fall asleep next to the woman of his life, the same loving smile on both their lips. The smile of the ones who had finally found a place to call _home_.

* * *

 

A stroke of light tenderly heated her body and Felicity was slowly forced to open her eyes, dragged away from the beautiful reality of dreams. There was a paralyzing fear at first stopping her from moving as she wondered whether Oliver would still be there, but sharpening her senses she could hear his regular breath and feel the heat of his body so close to hers and for some reason, she could breathe again. With careful moves not to wake him up, she left the bed and covered her body with a silk robe.

Felicity had started wandering along the room, her eyes jumping from Oliver’s sleepy body lying on the bed to the indescribable vision of the sunrise, and back to him. Suddenly, a quite whisper called for her from the distance, and a smile began to gain form in her lips as she turned around, “Already awa-”

The words were silenced in her mouth at the view of Cooper’s face peeking from the door and her smiled turned into a broken glance, “What are you doing here?”

“Oh, but I thought it was obvious. I’m congratulating the love birds! How’s your head, by the way? Hope that blow didn’t hurt too much. Although-”

Felicity raised a hand firmly, asking him to follow her outside, to the balcony. After making sure Oliver was still asleep, she closed the door behind them and he finally let out a laugh, “What’s the problem, darling? Afraid I’ll wake you precious lover up? My bet is after last night, he’ll be sleeping for a few more hours. You know, it’s funny, I always thought you’d be good in bed.”

Her face turned red from anger and her entire body straightened, assuming its position to kill, but then she remembered Oliver. Peaceful, sleepy Oliver resting just behind that door, the only one who had ever seen her as a hero. The one she loved above life itself. Her body weakened and it were her eyes the ones conveying the contempt, “Guess you’ll never know, will you?,” her eyes flickered, a joking danger impregnated in pain burning his skin, “Because I would never, ever be with you.”

“There was a time you didn’t think like that.”

“That time is long gone. I’ve had seven years to mourn you, Cooper, and those seven years turned me into what I am now. Those seven years _destroyed_ me, but no more.”

“You loved me, Felicity,” he took a step further, holding her hand, “I know you still do.”

“I could never love a man like you,” Felicity delivered, her voice breaking as she turned to face the sun, already reborn and high up in the sky, “Don’t you understand? You’re just like my father.”

“So should you. You’re the Daughter of the Demon, one would think you’d wear that title more proudly.”

“It is not something to be proud of. It’s a curse,” she turned to face him with a sad grin, her wild hair wavering at the morning breeze, “But you wouldn’t know that. What do you want from me, Cooper?”

“Not me, your father,” she blinked in confusion, “Oh, that’s right, I haven’t told you. Hard to keep up with the news in this place, isn’t it? Your father and I are working together now.”

“It surprises me that you found the courage to openly say that, this time,” the words tumbled from her mouth as she remembered his speech on the beach. She had known they were likely to be working together by then, but somehow everything had just seemed like an unrealistic nightmare.

“A little sassy today, are we, Mrs. Al Ghul?”

“That’s _not_ my name.”

“Oh, that's right, I almost forgot. You want to be known for the name of the woman who abandoned you as a child, right?”

“Don’t you dare talk about my mother!,” she screamed, her hand tight around his neck as she pushed him against a wall.

“You’re just embarrassing yourself now, Felicity,” he answered at cost, a smirk of evil beneath his useless attempts to breathe, “You won’t kill me anyway.”

“What makes you think I won’t?”

“You don’t have it in you. You’re still the little girl with the sparkly eyes, too afraid to walk the corridors without someone holding her hand.”

Her grasp weakened as she involuntarily let those images inside her mind.

_“Cooper, I’m scared. Hold my hand.”_

_The little boy cupped her tiny face with his tiny hands, his smile warming her heart, “You don’t have to, Felicity. I’ll go with you.”_

_“But I don’t want the evil men to hurt you either.”_

_“Don’t worry, they won’t hurt us, I promise. I won’t let anyone ever hurt you.”_

_“Promise?”_

_“I promise.”_

“Leave. Now,” her hand slowly stepped away from his neck and as well as she tried to hide it, tears were starting to form in her eyes, “Tell my father I will be at his presence soon, and don’t you ever, _ever_ , dare enter my room again.”

“You can hide behind these rock solid walls, or an unmeasurable army, but there’s one thing that will never change about you, Felicity. You’ll always be weak,” and so he left, and Felicity crawled to the floor as soon as she heard the second door shut, not able to hold it anymore.

Was she? Despite her origins, her education, her fighting skills and killer instinct, was she indeed weak? Right now, kneeled on the floor, her small body shaking as the tears left her eyes, she couldn’t prove him wrong. Felicity Al Ghul, the almighty Heir to the Demon, spread on the floor crying over the man who had broken her heart as a child.

Still convulsing, she dragged herself inside, where Oliver stood still, his eyes closed and his body so unprotected, so vulnerable. She wished he could stay like that forever, lying down on her bed, on _their_ bed, lost in a dream world which was far better than reality, granting her the possibility to stare at his perfect, peaceful semblance every day. With silent steps, she approached him, sitting on the edge of the enormous bed, “I am doing this for you, Oliver. So you can leave this place and be happy. You don’t belong here.” A tear rushed down her face and she quickly whipped it off with the sleeve of her robe before placing a tender kiss on his forehead and leaving.

Minutes later, Felicity Al Ghul entered the chamber where the Demon’s Head stood, giving one of his so famous demonstrations of force. Five men stood on the floor, dead, blood leaving their bodies agonizingly slow, and a sixth one begged for his life just before her father ran a sword through his chest. She cringed at the sound of him falling, disturbed by the fact that death had surrounded her for so long, it had become normal.

“My daughter. Has my companion talked to you already?”

“Yes, Cooper and I had a discussion this morning. You two are _companions_ now?”

He stepped away from the fallen men and straight towards her, “He is a boy of great value. Determined, ruthless, intelligent.”

“Soulless,” she whispered, “But I guess I should be used to it by now. I see the similarities.”

“Please, my dear, let us not get upset over such a small matter. Today, you will start preparing for your ascension as Ra’s Al Ghul.”

Her eyes diverted to the League men carrying the bodies and she found herself imagining everything had gone according to the plan and Diggle and Lyla would show up in a few seconds, and take her and Oliver away from all that, somewhere no one would ever find them again. She would finally meet the benefactor who was so interested in her life she had assigned two people to protect her, they would go look for Oliver’s little sister and everything would be fine.

“Now, there is something we have to take care of first,” her father’s voice awoke her from her daydream.

“And what is that?”

“Oliver Queen. Where is he?”

Her heart raced as Ra’s pronounced his name and she felt a desperate urge to hide Oliver somewhere no one would find him so they could be together. _Maybe in another life_ , she thought, but remained silent.

“We had an agreement, Felicity. Oliver Queen must leave in order for you to complete your ascension to the Demon’s Head-”

“That’s too bad, because I’m not going anywhere,” a voice spoke from behind. Oliver stood in the back, the same smile she had admired just before going to sleep the night before when their eyes met, and for a second the fairytales she had never heard as a child had come true and Oliver was her knight in shining armor, coming to rescue her from her dreadful fate.

“You are courageous, boy. Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do about my daughter’s destiny.”

“Felicity, please don’t do this…,” he begged, walking towards her despite the guards standing in his way. Ra’s gave them order to pull back and Oliver reached his love, holding her hand just like Cooper had that same morning.

“Oliver, please, I’m begging you. Stay away from this.”

“I can’t. I’m sorry, I tried, but I can’t leave you here,” his fingers caressed her soft skin while he spoke, “You promised a while ago I would always have you, and today, I promise you the same. I won’t leave you, Felicity, do you hear me? Never.”

“But you need to,” her voice cracked, the whirl of feelings inside her heart hazing her sight, “This is not the life for you, Oliver. You deserve better.”

“Any life with you in it is the life for me, Felicity. Please, don’t ask me to leave.”

“I have to…,” she broke, placing her hand on his face with a smile which, against all odds, seemed genuinely happy, “You have been the best thing that has ever happened in my life. Because of you, I learned I’m not past saving. You… _you_ saved me from myself, Oliver. Now let me save you as well.”

So drawn to each other, neither of them noticed the figure who had just entered the chamber and stood right next to the Demon’s Head with a teasing smirk on his lips. Cooper’s hands made a deafening sound when they collided in a slow clap which he made sure to repeat a few more times, “I’m sorry, were we supposed to bring tissues? Because I was not informed. But anyway, _bravo_! What a great performance, you two. Although, a few tears would have seemed a bit more convincing. Other than that, absolutely marvelous!”

Oliver wanted to go to him, but Felicity prevented him from moving, too scared of watching him get hurt again. “What do you want from us!?,” he screamed, powerless.

“Oh, from you, nothing really. As a matter of fact, I want you as far as you can possibly go. Your gorgeous girl, on the other hand… We have great plans for her. Plans where _you_ do not have a place.”

“You’re sick.”

Cooper rolled his eyes, taking a few steps further with Ra’s permission. He was awfully quiet, and Felicity knew that was never good. The whole situation wouldn’t have scared her at all if it wasn’t for Oliver. She could easily defeat Cooper in battle and her father needed her now more than ever. But now she had a weakness, and that weakness stood right beside her, facing two of the most powerful men in the world, and he didn’t seem to have any intention of stepping back. The strength she had always seen in him, that little sparkle they shared, the one she thought was long one, was now shining brighter than ever, and she loved him even more for that. She loved him so much, she couldn’t stand the idea of losing him.

“Well, at least I’m realistic. Or do you think you ever had a chance with her? You two are doomed since the begging, don’t you see? _This_ is her life, not a little white picket fence and kids running around in the garden,” with every step they grew closer, and Felicity wanted to put her body in front of Oliver’s, to protect him, but instead, he did the exact opposite.

“You think you know a lot about us? Think again.”

“I know Felicity better than you’ll ever do. She won’t give up this place, her life, for you, boy.”

“No, she won’t. Because she won’t need to,” his eyes turned to her in a silent apology, but his mind had been made a long time ago, “I am joining the League.”

“Oliver, NO!,” Felicity screamed, terrified, her body on the verge of collapsing and the oxygen failing to reach her lungs, “What are you doing!?”

“I’m sorry, Felicity. I couldn’t tell you before, because I knew you would never approve of it, but me and Diggle came up with a backup plan. In case things went wrong.”

“Oliver, you can’t stay here! They’ll rip your soul away, I’ll rip your soul away-”

“No, you won’t, and neither will them. Because we will be _together_ ,” he interrupted, his hands shielding her face as she struggled to gain control over the panic that slowly started to take over her body.

“Oliver, you don’t know the League. We don’t have feelings, we don’t have a _soul_. This is the furthest thing from together we will ever be.”

“Hey,” he whispered, his voice lower and his eyes shining as he ran his hand through her hair, “I’ll be fine, as long as I’m with you.”

The Demon’s Head finally moved, joining them and pulling Oliver away from Felicity in both a physical and metaphorical image of what their future would look like, “Are you sure about this, boy?,” he asked, placing a firm hand on Oliver’s shoulder.

“I am. I want to join the League,” his answer was so resolute, his eyes and body unwavering at the presence of him, the Demon’s Head was impressed.

“The men who want to join the League are asked to bring Ra’s an offer, or show their potential during a fight. What have you got for me?”

“I bring you the opportunity to serve the new Ra’s more faithfully than any other man would. I will guide Felicity through her hardest decisions and ensure your legacy is secure.”

Cooper almost ran to them, a threatening look on his face as his body dizzily covered Oliver’s, “That is _my_ job! You can’t just-,” but Ra’s hand forced him to back off and shut up. And while Felicity couldn’t help but wish everything would be taken from him the way he had taken everything from her, she would give anything for that to be his role, not Oliver’s.

“And what makes you think you are more qualified for that job than him?,” Ra’s questioned once more, his eyes facing Cooper’s with a nerve wrecking serenity.

“Love,” Oliver replied, even more sure than the first time, after a quick glance at a broken Felicity, “It is something neither of you will never understand, but your daughter does. Probably better than anyone. And love is a powerful weapon, more powerful than you’ll ever know.”

“Indeed it is,” Ra’s Al Ghul smiled, and Felicity knew what that smile meant. She thought her worst fear was taking on his mantle, but as Oliver walked towards her to say his last goodbye, she quickly realized that was incredibly far from the truth. Her worst fear had just become true, and it was losing Oliver to the League the way he would lose her.

“Just know, whatever happens, I will always love you, Felicity,” Oliver reassured, holding her face between his hands before placing a long, loving kiss on her forehead. Then, Cooper grabbed his arm and pulled him away from her, their hands being ripped away from each other in a blink by the monster with a wicked grin, “Looks like your new boyfriend and I will be having lots of fun from now on,” he was still able to tell her, and after that, Felicity's silence was replaced by agonizing screams as she saw Oliver and Cooper leaving, knowing she wouldn't see any of them in a long time. And when she did, Oliver Queen would have been gone forever.

Roy and Thea had been walking for the whole night. At first, she made a few observations as to how every rock seemed just like the last one and thought they were going in circles multiple times. However, she ended up realizing Roy knew that land like the palm of his hand, and if there was someone able to get to that tremendous fortress, it would be him. Besides, even if they were in fact lost and walking in circles, she wouldn’t mind. A part of her, as much as she tried not to let it show, was terrified to go back there.

So when they first saw two men leaving the fortress in the morning, one of them exceptionally similar to her brother, Thea Queen thought she was hallucinating and kept on walking. But a few steps further, the men were still there, and she was starting to gain conscience, despite the tiredness, frustration and the fact that her body couldn’t keep up that rhythm for longer, that was in fact very real. But in the exact moment she prepared to scream _Roy, that’s my brother!_ , he covered her mouth and threw them both to the floor.

Thea stood very quietly as she saw the other man talk to her brother and she knew she missed him way too much not to run into his arms, she knew how much he needed her, but Roy’s strong grip kept her from moving. Suddenly, she noticed a helicopter coming. At first, all she could hear was the awful noise of its spinning blades, but soon a machine just like Roy had left so many miles from there landed right in front of the stone castle and opened its door. The man punched her brother with such strength he lost balance, and even though Oliver still managed to hurt him too, in a second he was chained up and being forced to get inside the helicopter with the other.

It took off in a blink of an eye and seconds later, the skies were clear and there was no sign of her brother. She wanted to scream, she wanted to cry, but most of all, she was _angry_. Her hand moved so fast Roy didn’t even have the time to stop it from hitting his cheek, “What the hell were you thinking!? You promised to help me save my brother and you let them go! Or was it just one of your empty promises!?”

“Thea, listen to me!,” he yelled, and she eventually allowed him to talk, but the furious look was still there, “I would never lie to you. I promised we would help your brother, and we will, but you have no idea who we’re up against. And if I’m not mistaken…”

“What? Just tell me already!”

“That man, if he is who I think he is, he’s more dangerous than you could ever imagine. He has no soul, no feelings, and Oliver may have just hit him where it hurts the most,” he ran his hands through his hair and started walking in circles, driving her crazy.

“I didn’t understand a thing you just said, Roy. All I know is my brother is on that helicopter with some lunatic and-”

“Thea, that man is known for training men when they first join the League,” he finally confessed, and she couldn’t move. Her skin, burnt from the sun, turned pale, and at first she didn’t want to understand.

“What do you mean?”

“I think your brother has offered himself to be a member of the League.”

“What!? Roy, he can’t! You said Felicity was helping my brother, you said she’s the daughter of the evil man, then why won’t she do something!?,” she yelled, her eyes filled with tears and her body shaking from the shock.

“I don’t think she could, between her father and the man you just saw. But that’s not our biggest problem, Thea.”

“What can be worse than this?”

“The men who are getting League training, they don’t ever leave Nanda Parbat.”

“Are you saying...?”

“I don’t think that man will be training Oliver, Thea. I think he might be leading him to his death.”


	7. Nine Lives

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Cooper kidnaps Oliver and decides to torture him until he agrees to leave Felicity behind, Roy and Thea go to Felicity for help and together they come up with a plan to rescue Oliver.
> 
> Midwhile, Felicity has a glimpse of who her benefactor could be, Tommy is brought back into play and something big is in the makings in Nanda Parbat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, and as per usual, I'm sorry for the delay on updating this fic. Between school, finals, flashes of inspiration and not having spent a single day at home since my holidays began, writing has been, to say the least, tough. Also, there were a few last minute changes to the story's structure, content and direction, but more on that later. Keep reading though, because it's good news.  
> Now if you're into Thea's character, you'll probably love this chapter, since it's quite Thea-centric. If you've been wondering where Tommy is and what's his part in all of this, this is your chapter as well. Furthermore, you'll notice I changed POV's a little throughout the story because I felt like in certain moments it was important for you to know what the character was thinking/feeling. I think it turned out well, but I would very much appreciate it if you told me which way do you like best: keeping one POV for the whole segment or changing POVs according to what I feel like you should know. This was a new experience and I want your feedback.  
> This is also not a very romantic chapter. I know, it's a bummer, but we're getting there. To have love declarations, birds singing and blue skies we'll have to take a little trip to adventure and suspense town first, but I promise I'll make it worth the wait. All I can say is I have a little surprise on the makings when this is all over. One you will not be expecting considering the overall tone of the fic.  
> Which brings me to the next and final point: the number of chapters. As you all probably know, I started this aiming for it to be 8 chapters long. However, and while I'm still very proud of the last chapter, I noticed it might have been a bit too much to convey in just one chapter. Because of that, I have decided to increase the number of chapters to at least 10, maybe more, in order to allow some lose ends to be dealt with as well and to make reading this fic fun, easy and not too long. I hope that makes you happy, because that means more Danger and more chances to explore all your favorite characters and dynamics and build new ones!  
> Now, let's get to the fun stuff and let you read it.

Oliver followed the other man without a word, his mind lost wherever Felicity was. He could hear Cooper mumbling in the distance, but his only thought was of her. How would she be? Would she wait for him? Would she think about him every night before falling asleep until he could once more hold her in his arms while she did? Suddenly, reality hit him right in the face. He had no idea where he was going, and as far as he knew, there would be a thousand men outside ready to put a sword through his chest. Without Felicity to protect him, he was the most vulnerable creature in that place; ironic, since he was the one trying to protect her. He knew she didn’t need him to, but something about putting himself between her and danger gave him comfort, as if despite all the horror they would always make it through.

“Buddy, we’re here,” Cooper’s melodious voice called. His eyes struggled to adapt to the clarity, since all the light he had seen from the day before were beaming candles. There were no men outside waiting to kill him. There was _no one_  nor _anything_ outside, in fact, and somehow that was a little more disturbing.

“Where are we going?”

“Well, you said you wanted to be part of the League. I am responsible for the training of new members.”

Oliver heard as a helicopter quickly approached the exterior of the stone castle and knew immediately something was not right, “Wouldn’t it make more sense for the League members to be trained here in Nanda Parbat? After all, this is where they spend most of their lives.”

Cooper frowned with a hint of surprise, but his semblance was not one bit worried. He seemed quite bored, actually, and for a second Oliver felt an incredible urge to punch him, but he knew the two masked men following them would probably not be very pleased. So he squeezed his hands in an attempt to release the tension and tilted his head with his eyes stuck on Cooper’s, waiting for an answer.

“Well, I’m afraid you’re a bit too smart for your own sake, Mr. Queen,” a wicked grin was revealed between his lips. Sooner than Oliver could do anything about it, Cooper’s fist was impacting his face and the pain made him lose balance and grab his cheek in agony. The smile was still there when he proceeded, Oliver trying to get back on his feet, “We’re not going to train you.”

“Son of a bitch!,” Oliver yelled as he stroke the taller man, and even though it was a great punch, Cooper barely moved. It seemed to have no other effect than to dangerously annoy him and soon the two men behind Oliver grabbed his arms as Cooper approached him with slow, calculated steps and the helicopter finally came down from the skies and landed in front of them.

One of the men handed the dark-haired figure chains and as much as Oliver fought the tight grasp, soon he was immobilized and being carried inside the helicopter despite his protests. Could Felicity hear him? Would she come for him? How long could he wait for her? As the helicopter took off and he looked through the window, he thought he saw a petite woman next to an equally young man, but after a few seconds, the ground was way too distant and he shut his eyes in the hope when he opened them, he would be in a better place.

But he wasn’t. Oliver was not exactly sure how he had gotten there, since he didn’t remember anything after falling asleep with his head against the window and his body would probably be too heavy for Cooper to carry all by himself.  He blinked his eyes a few times to gain awareness and as he felt his body weakened, he was more and more sure he had been drugged. The first thing he could feel was the humidity of the air caressing his naked torso and the numbness in his arms, which were hanging above his head, tied with ropes.  Then, he heard voices in the background. Male voices. Cooper’s was easily distinguished and it made him sick to the point where he actually thought he would throw up, and to prevent himself from doing so, he growled and wiggled in a useless attempt to untie his members. By then, his eyes were starting to allow him to take a glimpse at reality, which, after brief moments of consideration, he decided was not a good thing. A blur of black started moving his way and as he got closer, Cooper’s face started to gain form.

“Guys, you should come say hello to our new friend!,” he yelled, and Oliver’s head felt like it was on the verge of exploding, “He just woke up.”

“Where am I?”

A laughter echoed through the walls of what seemed like a small empty room, “One would think you knew the city where you grew up a little bit better, Oliver.” The city where he _grew up_? Oliver’s thoughts swirled in his head while he tried to make sense of it all, but the drug was probably still on his system and preventing him from thinking clearly. _He had brought him to Starling City?_ “You know, it’s amazing how many abandoned basements there are in Starling,” the other man continued, clearly amused by his confusion.

“You have brought me to _Starling_?,” was all Oliver managed to say while grinding his teeth and focusing hard to keep his eyes on him, “I have friends here, you know? Family. And they will come for me.”

“Oh, but that would be lovely! I haven’t slaughtered innocent people for a while now,” Cooper replied while rolling his eyes and turning his back on him, starting to walk away. Oliver’s vision was not 100% clear yet, and the darkness caused by the low light that came from the lamp hanging on the ceiling made it harder, but he could see him gesturing towards the men who stood a few miles from them.

“You stay away from my family or I’ll-”

“Or you’ll do what, Oliver?,” he turned to face him once more and his lips twitched as he made it clear who the odds favored, “Kill me? We both know you couldn’t stand on your feet if I cut those ropes right now.”

Silence. He gently tapped Oliver’s cheek and he turned his head instantly, “Sorry about the drugging situation, by the way. We just wanted to make sure you didn’t do anything stupid… Such as, you know, waking up before time and playing the hero.”

“Why are you doing all this?”

“I don’t think you’re ready for that answer yet,” he paused for a few moments, reflecting on what to say next, “And don’t worry about your family, no harm will come to Moira… Or Thea-”

“Don’t you ever say their names again!,” Oliver screamed, his face so close to Cooper’s he had to take a few steps back, but quickly regain his composure.

“…Provided you agree to what I have to offer.”

“And what is that?”

“You will give up on Felicity. You will take your family and friends and whoever else is a part of that little superhero team you’ve set up, and you’ll leave to somewhere far and small enough so no one can ever find you.”

“I would _never_ give up on her,” he stated, and the flicker in his eyes burned brighter at the thought of Felicity and his family in danger. He could be tied up in some basement. Hell, he could be under the ground or drowning in the Pacific Ocean, but he would see the world burn before he let anyone hurt the ones he cared about.

“Well, I guess we have a problem then,” the other answered simply, walking away for good this time, “I hope my friends here will change your mind, Oliver. For all of our sakes.”

As he heard a door shut somewhere and the first punch came faster than he expected, right towards his stomach, Oliver knew what was coming. But deep down, as his mind alienated to the Queen Mansion to see Moira, him and Thea having breakfast together, to Nanda Parbat and the night he and Felicity had spent together, to the days in the layer training with Diggle or the nights partying with Tommy, he knew they were coming for him.

* * *

 

Thea felt like screaming until there was no more air left in her lungs at first, but as she soon realized, there was no point in screaming, or crying, or even talking for all that matter. Instead, she squinted her eyes and asked, “Alright then. So what do we do now?”

Roy stood quiet for a moment, his hands still rubbing his neck and the same apprehensive look in his face, before finally answering, “Now we tell Felicity.”

“And how exactly are you planning on doing that?”

His finger pointed at the monstrous fortress sculpted in the stone, “We’re going inside.”

She knew the decision had been made and she had no saying in the matter, but even if she did, Thea would’ve made the same choice. It didn’t bother her that the chance she would end up locked in some stone cell to die was way too high; her brother had been away from her for too long and she was going to solve that. And even if she didn’t know a thing about Felicity other than the fact she had tried to kill her, if she had been helping her brother this far, she sure wouldn’t stop now. Would she?

“Hey! Have you been listening to me for, like, the past twenty minutes?,” Roy’s manly voice called.

“Yeah, sure.” She hadn’t. She really didn’t want to hear or see anything at the moment. Her brain was too messed up for her to force it to work and all she could feel was this impulse causing her muscles to tremble and beg for her to move, to run, to _do_ something, “So, when are we going inside, then?”

“Right now, if you want to get  _killed_ ,” he answered with a frown, “Thea, I know this is hard for you,” his tone softened and his hand reached out for hers, “But your brother is at the hands of some very dangerous and probably mentally disturbed people, and if you want to help him you have to focus. You can’t help him if you’re dead.”

“I know, I’m sorry,” Thea asserted with a sigh, “Do you have a plan?”

***

Building a fire in the middle of the desert was something she never would’ve thought to be this difficult, but the heat that burned her skin to the core was apparently not enough. Roy had left her in what seemed like a small hill about half an hour ago, arguing this way she would have an advantage over anyone who might approach her from the ground and a better view of the surroundings, as he went to find some special wood. Everything else he had told her she had given up trying to understand, and the gun he had handed her, tucked underneath her flying blouse, still made her skin itchy. Thea forced herself to dig some kind of a hole where Roy could build the fire, but either the ground was too hard or the sand burned her fingertips, and so she gave that up as well and focused on remaining sat while examining the landscape time and time again waiting for Roy, or any other living soul, to show up.

The temptation of contemplating the thousand ways Nanda Parbat could get her killed was probably not the best to give into and there was no phone to reach out to, well, _anyone_ to tell them she was alive, and Thea found herself missing the cabin in the mountains. At least there she had a bed, a fireplace and the only thing she had to worry about was when she was going to see Roy or her family again. How would her mother be now that she was presumed dead and Oliver was probably missing as well? Moira Queen was a strong woman, but not that strong, she guessed. They had had their differences throughout the times, but Thea loved her mother and missing her was eating her inside. _Focus_ , she kept repeating to herself as some kind of a prayer, _she’s not the one facing the risk of getting murdered, your brother is. And you._

When she distinguished Roy’s muscled silhouette on the horizon her first instinct was to stand up and run right into his arms, but fighting that urge with every bit of strength she could find within her, Thea quietly waited for what seemed like an eternity until Roy got to the hill and started pilling the thin logs.

“What’s the fire for, anyway?,” she questioned, not because she was genuinely interested, but because the silence was making her anxious and she had enough to be anxious about already, “It’s not like we need to get any _warmer_.”

“It’s an ancient way to communicate between League members,” he replied without taking his eyes off the little spiral of smoke which was starting to form. “What I’m hoping for,” he continued as his hands moved with precision way too close to the fire, “is that they will see the smoke back in Nanda Parbat and send someone to investigate. We’re not very far, and today there isn’t much wind, so we might make it.”

“You want them to send _someone_ to investigate?,” she repeated, staring at him perplexedly.

“I want it to be Maseo,” he clarified, “He’s not an idiot, he knew we were headed here and if nothing happened to us, then he’d know we’d have arrived by now and that the smoke signal is for him.”

“And if he doesn’t? Or if he chooses not to help us anymore?”

“Well, then we should start praying you and that gun get along pretty well,” he sighed as he stepped away from the fire, which was now ready, returning her gaze for the first time since he had gotten there, “Because people very well trained to kill us might show up any minute now.”

They sat and waited for someone to appear, but every second Thea got more nervous and she wasn’t really sure if her muscles could be any more tense. Roy, on the other hand, seemed disturbingly calm, his eyes unwavering as he stared at the horizon just like she had when she was waiting for him. Thea wanted to talk to him, or rest her head on his chest, but she knew neither of them were granted the luxury of lowering their guard, and so she leaned her back against his and stared at nowhere, wondering how many times before he had done that. It was better than predicting the amount of assassins that were coming for them, anyway.

They didn’t have to wait long. When she felt him move his back, all of her senses sharpened and she became fully aware of everything around her. Afraid of turning her head, she stood still and her hand searched for the gun and almost instinctively wrapped itself around it, “So, are we safe or dead?,” she asked, her voice a murmur only Roy could hear.

“Safe,” he whispered back moments later, and as both of them slowly stood up, she felt a weight she never knew was there leave her shoulders.

“I told you I would not help you anymore,” Maseo hissed as soon as he got to them, “And the smoke signal was a stupid move. It took a miracle for me to tell them I should come check it out alone.”

“But you did it,” Roy pointed out, a smirk dancing on his lips which made her smile as well, “And I thank you for that. I owe you my life. But you know I wouldn’t have done this unless I had something really important to ask of you.”

“And what is that?”

“We need to see Felicity.”

If Maseo was any bit surprised, he didn’t let it show. Instead, he turned his head and looked away, towards what Thea recognized as being the way back to Nanda Parbat.

“It’s about Oliver,” Roy added, as if that would get the other man to agree.

“I figured,” he paused, probably wondering if they knew what had happened already, “Felicity tried to stop him from joining us, but she couldn’t, and neither can you.”

“It’s not that,” Thea spoke for the first time, trying to make her voice sound as firm as she could, “We saw a tall, dark-haired man take Oliver away from here. In a helicopter.”

Finally, Maseo reacted. He frowned and looked inquisitively towards Roy, “Cooper?”

“Yes,” he confirmed, “We think he kidnaped him and is probably planning on killing him.”

He seemed to give the whole thing a thought before speaking again, “Are you sure?”

“Look, this is my brother we’re talking about,” Thea let out, and this time there was no need for an effort to make her voice sound angrier than it already did, “Do you really think I would be going through all this trouble if I _wasn’t_ sure? Now I don’t know how you do it here, or if you even care if one of your own dies, but I _do._ And I’m sure Felicity will too.”

His lack of expression hit her in the nerves and she could feel her blood boiling in her veins. She was so done with all of this. Roy was looking at her and she couldn’t tell if that little sparkle in his eyes was pride, surprise or both, but whatever it was, it made her feel better and she was thankful for that.

“I can get you to talk to her tonight, about three hours after the sun sets,” he answered at last.

“No,” Thea opposed, and if Roy was planning on saying something, her glare instantly shut him up, “You are going to lead us to her _right now_ , or I’ll make sure to tell your colleagues everything about your betrayal right before they kill me.” She was almost sure the only reason why Maseo’s jaw didn’t drop was because he was trained not to let it happen. And so, five minutes later and in an absolute silence, with Maseo leading the expedition and Roy walking behind her, they embarked on their journey towards the back of the fortress.

***

As soon as she laid eyes on Felicity, she knew what her brother had seen in her. The black leather pants fitted her in all the right places and the dark blue shirt was tight enough to show the outlines of her breasts and revealed just a bit of her completely flat stomach. One could argue her eyes were a bit too small and her nose a bit too perky, but somehow all the elements on her face seemed to work together to create a masterpiece, her blonde hair falling on her shoulders and framing it. Thea could tell there were about a hundred places to hide knives and daggers in that outfit and just as many to keep other weapons at plain sight, and in a corner, her black mantle reminded her of her time in Nanda Parbat and she felt an urge to throw up or punch the other woman. But looking at her face, there was just something off, as if it didn’t belong to all that. She had the eyes of an innocent child and the calm semblance of a person who wouldn’t last a day in a place like this, and her gaze was stuck on Thea.

“Thea…,” she started, and as her lips clenched the younger woman realized she had no idea how to put what she wanted to say in words, “I’m sorry.”

She had travelled for hours, waited tucked behind another hill for a few more as Maseo walked in and told Felicity about them, and climbed a stone wall in seconds not to get caught by any guards, and all the blonde had to say was she was sorry. But there was really nothing else to say, and somehow the words that came out of her mouth seemed so honest and hurt Thea didn’t need her to say anything else, “I’m not here because of me.”

“I know, it’s your brother,” she seemed even more broken at the thought of him, “I tried to stop him, I did, but he just wouldn’t quit. I told him to run and leave me, but he wouldn’t.”

Suddenly, something hit her. Something she had never considered before, maybe because she had had no time to think about it or maybe because she didn’t even think it was remotely possible: he had done that for her. Everything he had done, he did it for _her_. Because he loved Felicity, and she clearly loved him too. She wished she had the time to wonder how it all happened, and under different circumstances, she would probably have been absolutely thrilled to meet the woman who had been able to get him to fall for her so hard he would do anything for her. But now, everything felt new and strange and she wasn’t sure how to feel about that.

Roy turned to Maseo immediately, giving her some much needed time to pull herself together, “You didn’t tell her?”

“I thought it would be best for her to hear it from you two.”

“Tell me what?,” she moved closer to them with a wavering step.

Thea sensed Roy glancing at her, but the weight of everything that had happened so far was taking its toll and finding out about his brother and Felicity’s relationship had only made it worse. So when Roy noticed she wasn’t feeling that well and hurried to talk, she sent him the most grateful look she could convey, “Oliver joining the League… That’s not why we’re here, Felicity.”

Fortunately, Felicity didn’t have the same blank expression as every other member of the League, and she tilted her head in confusion while her glare jumped from Roy to Thea and to Maseo, “What happened? Why are you here?”

“Maseo told us you were coming to Nanda Parbat to save Lyla and we decided to help you,” he explained, and Thea couldn’t help but smile at the way he had put it. Why were they there, really? Why had she wanted to come there? It’s not like she could do anything about her brother’s situation even if she wanted to. She just felt like she _had_ to come, and after what had happened, she was glad she did. And even if Thea could notice Felicity was understandably not interested in the origin story of it all, she liked how she kept quiet and attentive. Would they teach that in the League’s school as well? “When we got here, we saw Oliver and Cooper… leaving.”

“Leaving? What do you mean? Cooper is going to train Oliver, and people who want to join the League never leave-,” Felicity interrupted herself as the shock washed over her and she slowly realized what had happened. She was almost sure the first to approach her was Maseo, but she was too terrified to be aware of what was happening around her. As soon as her legs started to tremble she felt another pair of hands, probably Roy’s, coming to hold her fragile body as well, and all she could see was Thea standing in front of her and Felicity could tell she was worried, but she didn’t blame her for not wanting to help her. She _had_ tried to kill her, after all. Suddenly, she felt unbelievably selfish. Here she was, the daughter of the Demon, on her knees and crying uncontrollably over Oliver, when his little sister, who had never been a part of this, who was probably going through hell right now, tried so hard to keep herself together. That was not fair. That was not what Oliver would want. And dammit, as far as she knew, Oliver could still be alive. She had to rescue him and she had to do it quickly.

As promptly as she had lost her strengths, she fought to get them back and stood up, walking towards Thea. She felt an urge to hold her tiny body in her arms and comfort her, because that’s what Oliver would do and because she never meant to cause her any pain, but she knew Thea was not ready. So she stretched her hand, not really expecting her to accept it, and offered her the only form of comfort she knew, “We will get him back, Thea. I promise.”

Without really knowing why, Thea reached back and let the other woman hold her hand, feeling the warm touch of her soft skin on her own. Yes, a woman had tried to kill her, but Felicity wasn’t her. Ollie would’ve never fallen in love with that woman, but she could see him falling for this one. “I know,” she whispered back, and even though she didn’t know exactly which one of them she was comforting, holding on to that certainty made her feel like she had a purpose again. They would get him back.

“I am the daughter of the Demon. I will summon the League and we will search every corner of this damn world until we find him,” Felicity declared, her eyes burning with a feeling of power and determination she wasn’t used to. This time, she was going to do things right.

“Do you think that’s the wisest choice?,” she heard Roy mumble and she desperately wanted to ignore him. Why _wouldn’t_ it be? But they had been the ones to tell her about all of this and the least she could do was listen to what they had to say.

“Do you have a better plan?”

“You may be the daughter of the Demon, but your father is the Demon’s Head and he’s the one controlling the League,” Roy started. He seemed to have given that a lot of thought, but as he cleared his throat before continuing it was obvious he would never stand against Felicity, “And something tells me he won’t be all too interested in rescuing Oliver, because as far as we know, Cooper might be doing him a favor.”

Felicity started walking in her place, a useless attempt to release the tension from her every muscle. She wished she could prove him wrong and tell him her father would never do that, but the monster who was Cooper had been his own creation, the son he never had. Roy was right, there was no way she could summon her father’s army to hurt the one he admired the most to save her daughter’s beloved. Maybe he wasn’t even a part of this evil plan, but she had no doubt he would see Oliver die long before he would let any harm come to Cooper. They had to move quickly and quietly anyway, and an army of assassins wouldn’t be of great help in that matter. At least not for now. No, they had to do the exact opposite.

“You’re right, we can’t get the League involved in this,” she agreed with a nod. Would Roy’s silent sigh have anything to do with that? She walked towards the bed and sat on the silk quilt, allowing her body to find some comfort amongst all of that, seen as her mind sure wouldn’t. “We have to do what Oliver would.”

“We have to work together,” Thea completed, and there was a complicity in their shared look the others wouldn’t be able to notice, but they did. They were the women Oliver Queen loved above anything else, but they loved him just the same. And they would do anything to have him hold them in those gigantic arms once more.

“That’s right. We’ll have to get every person who loves Oliver on our side, but apart from those, there is no one else we can trust.”

“There’s Diggle and Lyla,” Roy suggested immediately, and only then did Felicity realize they were all on board with the plan. When had she become such a great leader? And then again, when it came to Oliver, she was never really herself. Not her evil, dark, twisted version, anyway. “They both care about him, they’re former soldiers, Lyla has had League training and Diggle has spent enough time with Oliver to know how he thinks.”

“With me and Diggle as links to Ollie’s personal life, Roy, Lyla and Maseo with an internal knowledge of the League and all of its hiding spots,” she pointed at Felicity, “and you as the bridge between the two worlds, we might just make it,” Thea declared, and the astonished looks coming her way did nothing to ease her pride. A few months ago, she never would’ve thought she could even put this sentence together, and now, here she was, planning to use everyone’s strengths to organize a rescue mission. What had changed? And why was she feeling a wave of happiness and confidence taking over her when she should probably be scared to death?

Felicity’s glance at the little woman turned into a motherly look of pride and joy. She had considered leaving her out of this to protect her, but listening to her now, she knew Thea would never let that happen. She was Oliver’s baby sister, and Oliver would never refuse to march on the battlefield if it meant saving anyone’s life. That’s just how he was, selfless and thoughtful, and her heart ached violently at how much she missed him. “That sounds like a great plan,” she replied with a smile.

“It does,” Maseo hadn’t talked for so long she had almost forgot what his voice sounded like, “But how exactly are we going to find _and_ defeat Cooper and his men?”

They pondered on the subject for a while, and after a few minutes, Thea came to join Felicity on the bed and the four of them discussed about a thousand different strategies that could lead to success. Or their death. After an hour or so, a plan had gained form.

Cooper was not an idiot, and he knew they would find out he kidnapped Oliver soon enough and try to rescue him. Felicity was aware he was _expecting_ them to do so. It was all part of the twisted game he liked to play; but if he was going to play, then her team was in it to win. Hiding in one of the League’s hiding places was not very smart, as she could easily persuade her father into sending a few men to every single one of them, especially now he would do everything to please her if it meant she would take his place. No, Cooper was way more vicious than that. Oliver was threatening his reign of power by standing by her side and for that he would make him suffer, physically and emotionally. The thought of Oliver being beaten up and used as a toy made her sick, but she had to focus. All she could do about that was end it as soon as she could, and that meant finding Cooper. And if Cooper wanted to hurt Oliver… what would hurt him more than being a prisoner in the one place everyone would do anything to save him? Cooper had taken Oliver to Starling City; she knew it.

Maseo’s first task was to fly to Starling immediately and start looking for Oliver. Every abandoned warehouse, basement, attic…; any place with four walls and a door that seemed a tiny bit suspicious. It could result in nothing, but it was worth the shot and Cooper would know they were looking for him. He was too proud to run and he knew even if he tried it, they would catch him. At the very least, the search would make him nervous, and she was fine with that. Nervous people make mistakes, and all she needed from him was a mistake.

Roy had League training, but Thea was a small, thin woman with zero fighting technic. Not only did Felicity want to keep her safe for as long as she could, but having her in the field would be extremely dangerous. If any of Cooper’s men laid hands on her, that would be the icing on the cake for him, and there was no way they could rescue both Queens.  Instead, she was in charge of something only Thea could do: she was going to pay a visit to Moira Queen. Their family had been through a lot and the least Felicity could do about it was allow mother and daughter to be reunited once again. Love is a powerful weapon, and once Moira was fully informed, she would be a valuable asset to the team. Together, the women of the Queen family could get the police looking for Oliver, set rewards, anything that would help increase the pressure on Cooper's side. In addition, Roy would be able to look out for both of them and keep Cooper from harming any more people. Thea had tried to argue at first, but she missed her mother and knew that was the best she could do, so it didn’t take long for her to lose the frown that was starting to gain form between her eyebrows.

As for Felicity, there was something unresolved she needed to take care of: her benefactor. She had no idea where Diggle and Lyla had gone after her father released Lyla from League’s duty, but they probably wouldn’t risk returning home so soon. Wherever they were, she was sure they had reached out to the one who had hired them so many years ago and if that someone was powerful enough to get two people to watch over her for her whole life, then they should be just as valuable to get Oliver back. She would go to him, or her, whoever it was, and ask for their help. If they had protected her this far, they should be interested in protecting the one who had never harmed her.

And so, when the other three left for Starling City that night so they would not be spotted in the dark and her room was empty once more, she pushed away the feeling of emptiness and how much she missed having Oliver there with her and grabbed the phone he had left in there before the confrontation with Cooper and her father to dial Diggle’s number.

“Oliver?,” a strong male voice asked on the line.

“No, it’s me,” she answered, instantly aware that _me_ was probably not the best way to identify herself.

“Felicity? What happened to Oliver?”

She noticed he didn’t even ask how she was doing, and as odd as it could sound, she was relieved he didn’t. She was too far from okay to admit it, “Cooper took him. I need your help.”

“Do you know where he is?”

“We think he’s in Starling.”

“And who is _we_?,” his tone was not distrustful and she could feel the only reason he was asking was to make sure she was safe.

“Roy and Thea were the ones who saw Cooper leave with Oliver. Maseo helped bring them here so they could warn me and we came up with a plan.”

“Are you sure you want to get Thea involved?”

“We need all the help we can get,” she replied, and although Felicity was being honest and Thea had been the one to insist on being a part of it, she couldn’t help but feel guilty for dragging her into this, “And Roy has been charged of protecting both her and Moira.” Was she trying to reassure Diggle or herself?

“Right. You know we’ll always help you in a heartbeat, so what do you need?,” he had the same resolution on his voice she had had a while ago when coming up with this plan, and she was sure she had chosen the right people. They were the family she was never allowed to have and Oliver felt the same way towards Diggle.

“Maseo is going to search the city, Thea and Moira will get the police and media involved to trap Cooper inside Starling and Roy will protect them. But all of that won’t help us when the time comes to face Cooper and rescue Oliver.”

“I see…,” he was a soldier and she had been trained to be a merciless assassin. They both knew there was no point in trying to step back and protect themselves when danger lurked behind the corner and they agreed on what had to be done. That’s why she needed him.

“During the time I was undercover at Queen Consolidated, I got pretty good with computers,” the inflection on her voice had nothing to do with pride, on the contrary; she was horrified her skills wouldn’t be good enough, “If Maseo and the police don’t succeed, that’s how we’ll find Cooper. And I’ll need you and Lyla to take care of his men if I’m to fight him. Roy and Maseo will get Oliver.”

“You can count on us.”

“We’ll meet tomorrow night in Starling. Maseo will have 24 hours to search and a night should be enough for Thea and Moira to catch up, so they can make their move in the morning. Besides, there’s something else I need to do. If everything works out, by tomorrow night we’ll be ready to face Cooper.”

“Seems good to me.”

“There’s something I need to ask you…”

He knew what she was about to ask, and she was aware of that as well. Still, the line remained silent and she could hear his heavy breathing through the phone for a while before he finally spoke, “You want to meet her.”

“It’s the perfect timing. She wants to help and I need her to.”

“I don’t think the timing could be any worse, actually,” he sighed.

“Why? What is it about this woman that you don’t think I can handle?”

The silence grew longer and just as she was about to check if he had hung up, there was a change in the rhythm at which Diggle had been breathing. It didn’t take her long to understand it wasn’t him on the line anymore, it was _her_.

“Hello?,” Felicity asked, her heart bouncing for some unknown reason, but there was no answer. Just the sound of a woman breathing quickly and nervously, “I’m Felicity Smoak, I’m-,” she wondered if _Smoak_ was the last name she should have used, but now it was too late.

“I know who you are,” the voice finally spoke. It was tender and warm and Felicity couldn’t help but ask herself why the woman was so emotional. Yes, as far as she was concerned she had been looking out for her since forever, but there was something else and she could feel it.

“I need your help…,” she mumbled, not sure what to say.

“I’ll be there.”

“Thank you,” she wanted to tell the woman she wasn’t just thanking her for today, she was thanking her for caring about Felicity for her whole life when no one else had. She was thanking her for _always_ being there, even if she didn’t know it back then, but the words wouldn’t leave her mouth.

“When you love someone as much as I love you, Felicity, you don’t need a _thank you_. I hope you learn that someday.”

There were three _beeps_ and then absolute silence surrounded her as she dropped the phone on the bed gently like she had been holding a baby. Who was that woman? And why did she feel an uncontrollable impulse to take refuge in her arms like she could protect her from all the evil in the world?

 _Focus, Felicity_ , she whispered to herself and struggled to keep her hands from shaking, _In time you’ll meet her. Right now, Oliver is waiting for you._ There was one more phone call to make. She scrolled through Oliver’s contacts until she got to T: Tommy.

The phone rang for a while until a sleepy Tommy decided to answer it, “Oliver, is that you? Because if it is, you have about a thousand things to explain and a huge hotel bill to pay.”

From the little she knew about Tommy, his sense of humor was his main characteristic. He was fine, and she allowed herself to take a deep breath even though she didn’t know she needed to until just then, “It’s not Oliver, Tommy. It’s Felicity.”

“Wow, wait. The girl who Oliver was seeing before he was kidnapped and forced me to leave Starling and drive like a lunatic to some tiny village whose name I can’t remember? Well, this sounds promissing.”

“It’s hard to explain and we don’t have the time,” she stated, and his goofy mood immediately vanished only to be replaced for a concerned and calculated tone, as if he feared his own words.

“Is Oliver okay?”

“No, he’s not. He’s been taken by some very dangerous people and I need your help to get him back.”

“But how could _I_ help?”

“You’re going to leave that place, wherever it is, and drive to Starling through the night. Don’t go home or stay in some hotel, just stroll through the city until I call you again. It should take a while, so keep yourself busy and keep a low profile.”

“But what do you need me _for_?,” he seemed to be tempted to believe her, but the suspicion was still there. She couldn’t blame him. He had been asked to drive off for no reason, told he would get a phone call from Oliver to tell him what to do next which he never did, and was suddenly being dragged into some movie-like plan to rescue his best friend. If he didn’t care for Oliver the way he did, she believed he would probably have hung up by now.

“I can’t tell you right now, but it’s something big. You’ll have to trust me. Can you do that?”

He stood silent for a moment, considering what she had just asked. Who was this woman, anyway? He knew nothing about her and a voice in his head kept whispering she had to be the one who had gotten Oliver in this mess in the first place. However, this was Oliver they were talking about, and he could tell she wasn’t lying when she said he was in danger. Oliver would’ve never bailed out on him, and neither would he, “I can.”

And the room was silent once and for all when she let her body sunk to the bed, her messy hair spread in the pillow around her face. Oliver was waiting for her, _somewhere_ , but she was waiting for him too. Lying alone in the bed they had shared just the night before, she imagined him peeking at the door, whispering “Hey,” and walking towards her to put his arms around her body until they fell asleep. Oliver was her salvation. He was the one who could harness her light and turn her into someone different, someone… _better_. And because of that, his life was in her hands. His life and the lives of the seven others she had asked for help. The lives of the ones he loved the most rested in the hope that everything would work out, and that was up to her and no one else. Nine lives, in her hands.

She pictured herself finally finding Oliver and Cooper was between them. She could easily kill him. A good punch, a few kicks and as he stood on the ground, a knife cutting down his throat. He wouldn’t feel a thing. Or maybe she would make him feel, maybe she would make him pay for all the pain he had brought her. But she knew she didn’t have to; she had Oliver by her side now, and he wouldn’t let her turn into that monster again.

Felicity knew it wouldn’t be that simple. If she attacked Cooper, his men would immediately kill Oliver and there was nothing Diggle, Maseo or Roy could do about it. They couldn’t do this alone, and she knew it. But they didn’t have to. She had known she would do anything to protect Oliver for a long time, but now the time had come for her to act. And in order to save Oliver, she would have to do whatever it took. To get Oliver back, Felicity Al Ghul would rise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There! I warned you this was more of an adventure packed chapter, but if you had half the fun reading it as I did writing it, then I'm sure you had a great time.  
> What do you think is Tommy's role in all of this? What could go wrong? Do you have anything you desperately want to scream at a character (or the writer)? Please leave your thoughts on the comment section, this experience is much more fun when I get a chance to interact with you guys and know what you are feeling, even if you hate it, which I hope is not the case! lol.  
> Hope you liked it.


	8. Warriors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, a battle is about more than simple planning. Sometimes it is about reuniting with the ones who give us the strength to keep going.  
> But now that all of the people Oliver loves the most have gotten together with one single purpose, what sacrifices will it take to rescue him?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are. The penultimate chapter of Danger. This is a very emotional and very tactical chapter, since we got long awaited reunions but also a lot of strategy and planning, including some big revelations and misterious plots.  
> As I see it, the best part of writing such a complex and layered story is when you get to the final chapters, you have the opportunity to put all of the characters together and make every storyline connect with the others, which thickens the plot even more. This is what is so beautiful about these two final chapters. This is what Danger has been building up to since the very beginning. Did I know it would come down to this in the end? No. But it was always on my mind to take every piece of this story and put them all together somewhere along the way, and I am finally doing it.  
> I would also like to inform you that in order to make it up to you for always putting up with my hectic update schedule, the final chapter of Danger will also be published this week, between Saturday or Sunday at 8p.m. UK time. There will also be an epilogue, which will be published somewhere along next week.  
> I hope you have as much of a wonderful time reading this as I did writing it.

As she walked towards the Queen mansion, Thea felt like each of her feet weighted three times her entire body’s weigh. If Roy’s hand wasn’t so tight around hers, wrapping her tiny fingers in his, she was absolutely sure she would’ve fallen and been swallowed by the pavement and into the earth by now. She tried to be rational, tell herself that it was her home, it was her mother inside waiting for her, but that seemed to do nothing to slow down her beating heart or stop her hands from trembling.

What was she afraid of, anyway? There was nothing to be afraid of. The house was the same, her mother was too, apart from a few more wrinkles around her eyes, maybe, and Ollie would soon be reunited with them and their family would be the same.

But _she_ wasn’t. She was no longer the naïve little girl who liked to spend money in fancy dresses and pointless parties, and while that should make her proud, it wasn’t the only thing that was different about her. Thea Queen was in love, like she’d never been before. Not just with Roy, but with _herself_. Her personality, her strength, her bravery, her life. And that was new to a girl who had spent the last six years mourning her father, her brother and herself.

She was ready to be a new Thea Queen, a _better_ Thea Queen, and that was horrifying. What if after they rescued Ollie, things went back to normal? Roy would have to return to Nanda Parbat, and so would Felicity and Maseo. The Queen family house would be as empty as the siblings’ hearts, and everything she had learned so far, everything she had done, would be nothing but a distant memory, until someday she wouldn’t even remember those times anymore, like an unrealistic dream our brain just won’t let go.

“Thea?,” Roy called from what seemed like miles away, even though he was standing right beside her. Staring right at the front door. Had she really climbed the stairs? If so, she had no memory of doing it. “Are you ready?,” he asked, more to comfort her than to hear her answer. She wouldn’t know what to answer anyway.

“Yeah, sure,” Thea tried her best to fake a smile, “What can be so hard about coming back from the dead?”

She knocked on the door, but her hand seemed to have lost all its strength and they could barely hear the sound of it against the wood. “It’s okay,” Roy whispered, pulling her head to his shoulder and slowly grabbing her hand, which was still leaning against the door, “Here, let me.” Two loud _bangs_ echoed inside the house and Thea’s body wavered. Few seconds later, a middle-aged, blonde woman answered it.

“Excuse me, I thought I was clear when I said I’m not interested in giving any more interviews–,” the sentence was never finished, lingering in Moira’s mouth, her eyes wide open.

“It’s okay, we’re not here for an interview,” Thea managed to reply with a weak smile. Her mother seemed to have aged at least ten years. She still wore the same elegant clothes, but her posture was no longer the one of a queen, rather the one of a woman who had no other purpose in life than survive it. And even though she still cared enough to put on some make-up, it didn’t hide the dark circles and wrinkles around her blue, misty eyes.

Her voice cracked and her eyes were filled with tears, but still unwavering, analyzing every aspect of the young woman’s body, “Thea?”

“It’s me, mom. I’ve missed you,” she said, and no matter how hard she tried, Thea couldn’t stop the tears from falling.

Suddenly, Moira Queen launched her arms around Thea without any warning, pulling her daughter towards her in an urge to never let her go again, “My baby! My sweet little girl! I missed you so much, Thea.”

“I’m here now, mom,” she stated, and the statement was absurdly obvious, but neither of them cared. Her arms wrapped instinctively around Moira, her hands resting on her back and her head buried in her mother’s neck, and she felt as if the weight of the world had suddenly left her shoulders. She was okay now. She was home, “I’m not leaving again, I promise.”

They stood at the porch until the tears stopped rushing down their faces and even after they let go, their fingers kept intertwined, as if they were terrified of losing each other again. And they were. Moira guided them towards the living room and as Thea slowly stepped on the floor she knew better than the palm of her hand, she grew calmer. Her hands were barely shaking by now, soothed by her mother’s touch, and her numb and aching body was grateful to finally sit on something other than the uncomfortable helicopter seats.

“I thought… We all thought-,” Moira tried to begin, but the words didn’t seem to find their way out and the tears made her vision blur.

“I know, and I’m sorry. I meant to come by sooner, but Ollie, he…,” suddenly, Thea noticed her mother’s lips were twitching and she was facing the floor, prepared for the worst. She thought Oliver was dead. How couldn’t she, after all this time, if not even Thea was sure he was alive by now?  Anger took over her as she wandered what was the reason of all this. Her mother didn’t deserve any of this. Her brother didn’t deserve it either, none of them did. She tried to swallow dryly to shake the tears off her eyes as she reassured the older woman, “Mom, Ollie is alive. He is alright.”

Moira’s entire body seemed to relax and she smiled genuinely for the first time since Thea saw her face, “My children… They’re both fine.”

“We are, mom,” she caressed her mother’s hand. Thea knew she was lying, but she knew Moira wasn’t ready to learn the truth. Not yet. Not _all_ of it.

“But how do you know he’s alright? Did you see him? Does he know you’re alive?”

“I did see him, but we didn’t get a chance to talk,” she blinked repeatedly to keep herself from crying. That was harder than she had expected, “I’m not sure he knows about me.”

“Where is he right now?”

“I’m not sure… It’s complicated, mom.”

“What do you mean _complicated_? He isn’t alright, is he?”

_You can do this. You can lie. It’s not that hard._

“Thea, sweetie, talk to me.”

_Focus. Don’t feel anything._

“Thea, where is your brother?”

_Don’t feel. Don’t cry. Not now._

“He’s been kidnapped, Mrs. Queen,” Roy finally spoke. He had felt like a ghost for the whole time until that point, but he didn’t mind one bit. He knew they needed each other more than casual greetings or formalities and now was probably not the time for Thea to tell her mother she was dating a former assassin, anyway. But when he saw Thea on the verge of breaking down, he couldn’t let that happen. It was stronger than him.

“What do you mean, kidnapped? Who are you?,” just like that, Moira’s happiness had been crushed. The world is an unfair hell of a place.

“I’m Thea’s… _friend_. I accompanied her here.”

“He saved me, mom,” Thea was able to say between her sobs.

“Saved you from whom, Thea?”

“The same people who want to hurt Oliver. Which is why we’re here. We need your help to stop them.”

“You mean you need to stop Felicity Smoak?” The room was dead quiet for a second as Thea and Roy exchanged astonished looks. Finally, Moira let out a heavy sigh before continuing, “The last time I properly talked to your brother was about a month before he disappeared. He had been training with Mr. Diggle, his bodyguard, for three months.”

“Training for what?,” Thea asked, confused.

“The day Oliver came home, after you were both kidnapped… He told me Felicity Smoak had murdered you. He was…,” Moira Queen took a deep breath, as if reliving those events was too painful to handle, “Your brother was training to kill her.”

“He wanted to _kill_ Felicity?,” it was Roy’s time to be open-mouthed. As far as he was concerned, Oliver _loved_ Felicity.

“Yes. I tried to talk him out of it about one month before he disappeared, tell him it wasn’t his fault, but he wouldn’t hear me. From that day on, he barely stepped foot in the house and almost refused to talk to anyone. Until one day, he just wasn’t here anymore.”

Roy was heartbroken and moved by Moira’s story, and just the thought of what she must have felt during the time both her children were away and presumed dead was too painful for him, but right now, there was someone else hurting more in that room and he knew it. His body involuntarily kneeled in front of Thea and he grabbed her hands with a tight grip, forcing her to look back at him, “Thea-”

“Don’t,” she almost yelled, and her body started shaking to the rhythm of her sobs.

“ _Thea_. It’s not your fault.”

“It is! This whole thing was _my_ fault! If I hadn’t been so reckless, if they hadn’t taken me in the first place, Ollie would be here with us right now,” she cried out, unable to keep herself together anymore.

“Thea!,” her mother pulled her tiny body towards her, just like she had done to Oliver that afternoon, and hugged that trembling body as firmly as she could, “My silly girl. None of this is your fault, do you hear me? _None._ Thea, people have hurt you, the same who have hurt your brother. They’re the bad ones here, not you.”

Thea Queen was no longer the naïve little girl who liked to spend money in fancy dresses and pointless parties, but she couldn’t be the little girl who cries over her problems instead of fighting back. She wouldn’t. Gathering all her strengths, she forced herself to breathe normally and fought the tears away. She had Roy’s hands in hers and her mother’s embrace making her feel safer. Ollie deserved those things as well, and it was up to her to make sure he did.

“Felicity Smoak,” she struggled to talk, still whimpering, “she’s not the one behind this.”

“What do you mean?”

“She didn’t kill me, mom. She _saved_ me,” she felt Roy’s hand squeezing hers harder and looked back at him only to find his blue eyes full of pride and love. She wouldn’t lose him either.

“But your brother, he was sure-”

“This is very hard to explain, so I need you to listen to us very carefully and we’ll try to make it easy to understand, okay?,” she asked her mother, who immediately nodded. Was that surprise in her eyes? Was it pride, like in Roy’s? She gave Roy a look so he would start. He probably knew more about the origin of all of this than she did, anyway.

“Felicity’s father is the leader of a very powerful organization of assassins, and they targeted Oliver,” he started, trying as hard as he could to ignore the shock and horror on Moira’s eyes. Oliver’s life was in danger and he relied on them, “Her father murdered the love of her life when she was very young and has since then turned her into a monster, made her do horrible things… And one of those was destroy everything and everyone Oliver had ever cared about, so he could join the League. But something changed along the process…”

“…She fell for Ollie, mom,” Thea picked on, “and eventually, he fell for her too.”

“But how could he?,” the question sounded ridiculous after everything they had just told her. Until Thea remembered, this was her mother, Ollie’s mother. She didn’t care about assassins or the League, all she cared about was the happiness and well-being of her children. Who could blame her for that?

“The day they took me and Ollie to their fortress, Felicity set up the whole thing. She made Ollie think she had murdered me but had one of her men take me to a safe place,” she took a glance at Roy, still kneeled beside her, his hands caressing the soft skin of hers, “That’s where I met Roy.”

“And what was Roy _doing_ in that safe place, exactly?”

He took a while answering the question, but he had a feeling Moira already knew the answer. “I used to be a League member. I was in charge of taking care of your daughter,” he let out with a nervous sigh.

“I see. Why should I trust you, then? Who tells me this isn’t all a deception to rip my family apart? _Again_.”

“I do,” Thea said with such strength Moira’s burning eyes left the boy and landed on her, “I understand this might sound crazy-”

“No, not one bit,” her mother ironized.

“-But Roy saved my life. He healed my wounds, he fed me, he gave me blankets to keep warm at night,” her eyes turned to the man she loved so deeply once more, as sweet and tender as the ones staring right back at her, “And he gave up the League just for me. To help me find Ollie.”

“You said you saw him, but you never actually met. How?,” she was clearly done discussing the Roy situation, which was not as bad as Thea thought it would be. Then why did her heart feel like it was being ripped off of her chest? She did her best to ignore it.

“Yesterday we finally got to the place where they were keeping Oliver, but we saw another man take him. They left in a helicopter before we could do anything about it and we haven’t seen him since.”

“Do you have any idea where he might be?,” Moira didn’t seem shaken, or broken, or even sad by now. She had this sense of determination and inner strength written all over her body and Roy found himself wondering if that was a Queen women distinctive trait. His eyes travelled to Thea, the same resolute look in her eyes. Of course it was.

“We talked to Felicity and a few other people who are helping us and we think he might be in Starling.”

“In Starling!?,” Moira’s jaw dropped.

“Yes, mom. But we have a plan to rescue him, that’s why we need you. We need to act together,” she smiled truthfully for the first time in ages, “Like a family.”

Moira looked tenderly at her daughter for a few moments and realized she had changed more than even herself could ever see. But she was unbelievably proud of the young lady sitting in front of her.

“What do you need me to do?”

“What the Queen family does best,” Thea answered with a grin, “Draw all the attention to us.”

* * *

 

As the gentle morning sun warmed her skin, Felicity sat in her ridiculously large bed, her body straightened like it was ready for a fight, covered in beautiful black and gold clothes and lethal weapons. She could feel the cold blade against the soft skin of her tight, just like she was aware of the knife inside her shoe, the gun tucked inside her trousers, making her hip uncomfortable, and the daggers hidden behind the long sleeves of her vests. Only the lonely tear rushing down her face betrayed her portrait of what the League of Assassins’s leader should look like. Felicity Al Ghul. Her father had let her keep her name, but what good had it done her? That still didn’t feel like her.

“Master,” a voice called from outside, “We discovered a woman surrounding Nanda Parbat. We’ve taken her prisoner. What would you like us to do with her?”

She felt like crying at his words, but instead, wiped the single tear with the back of her hand and tried her best to keep a steady, powerful tone, “Did she say what she was doing here?”

He seemed hesitant to answer the question, “She said she was here to see Felicity Smoak. I told her there was no one by that name in Nanda Parbat.”

Felicity suppressed a scream, covering her mouth with her hand, “Send her here. Alone.”

“But she could hurt-”

“Do you think I cannot defend myself!?”

“I’m sorry, Master. I will bring her to you.”

The sound of his footsteps slowly vanished. Felicity wiggled in an attempt to get up, and as she did, her scar, the burnt skin from so many years ago, brushed against the fabric, sending a shiver down her spine. Even after all this time, it was still there, as a reminder of where she truly belonged. Her deformed skin in the shape of a crown. It was supposed to remember her she was the heir to the Demon’s Head throne, forever, and one day she would be queen, but she laughed at the irony. Now, she loved a man named Oliver Queen, and he was branded in her body. Forever.

An almost inaudible knock came from the door and she felt her heart sink to the ground, “Come in.”

A blonde woman carefully pushed the door. She wasn’t too tall, but she wasn’t short either, and her body was curvy and slim just like Felicity’s. They had the same color of hair, the same blue in their eyes, the same perky nose, the same… _everything_. Felicity stopped breathing for a second and her muscles grew weaker.

“Felicity?,” the woman asked, and Felicity noticed her hands were shaking as much as hers, “Felicity Smoak?”

“M-mom?,” she whispered as the tears started gaining form in her eyes, running towards the woman’s arms almost instinctively as soon as she nodded her head, “Mom!”

“My girl,” Donna whispered against her daughter’s hair, holding her with such strength she could feel her gasping for air, but none of that mattered, “Felicity, I missed you so much. I’m so sorry.”

“I missed you too,” she murmured against the skin of her mother’s neck, “Thank you. I know it was you.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t come for you sooner, my sweet little girl. I’m so sorry,” she cried out.

“You’re here now.”

Donna’s hands rested on Felicity’s arms as she guided her, half walking, half running, to the balcony, “I came as soon as I could.”

“It’s Oliver, he-,” Felicity started, but interrupted herself when she thought it through. It had been her on the phone, promising she would help her. She was with Diggle and Lyla. She probably knew everything already, she always had.

“We’re going to save him, okay? I promise. We’ll leave to Starling right now and…,” Donna’s mouth went dry when she took a closer look at what Felicity was wearing. She would recognize that outfit anywhere in the world. Barely finding the balance to keep standing, she took two steps back, “Felicity, what have you done?”

“It was the only way,” she answered, more calmly than Donna would’ve liked. Was she too late?

“Becoming Ra’s Al Ghul is _never_ the way. I know it better than anyone.”

“I need an army to get Oliver back, and this was the only way I was going to get it,” Felicity suddenly increased the distance between them, anger and pain spread all over her eyes, “You don’t know. How could you possibly know?”

“Believe me, I know what being the Demon’s Head does to people. I experienced it firsthand. This isn’t you.”

“You don’t know,” Felicity yelled back, walking straight to her mother with her finger pointed at her, “You weren’t here. You have no idea who I am or what I’ve been through!”

“Felicity, I do-”

“Why, because you assigned two babysitters to look over me? You weren’t here!,” she was sobbing now, but her voice showed no signs of weakness, “You left me here to suffer, with _him_!”

“I didn’t _leave_ you here, Felicity! I had no other choice,” there was a mess of screams and smothered sobs in the air now, except no one seemed to hear it but themselves, “You think I would’ve left you here if I had had one?”

“I think you left me here. Alone. I don’t care why,” the years of wondering what she had done wrong to make her mother leave her as a young girl were catching up to her and she couldn’t control the words that came out of her mouth any longer. She didn’t want to, “The _why_ didn’t matter when my own father pretended to kill the love of my life to turn us both into monsters. The _why_ didn’t matter when I ruined the lives of dozens of people in search for some useless comfort or redemption,” she finally broke, the wounds open, and there was nowhere to hide, “And it didn’t matter either when I laid my head in the pillow at night and silently let the tears out, wondering if my mother would ever come to rescue me!”

“I’m sorry, Felicity,” Donna cried out, wrapping her arms around that fragile body, that broken soul, and finding no resistance, “I should’ve been here. I should’ve been your mother.”

“It was the only way,” Felicity kept repeating in some kind of sick, twisted version of a prayer, “It was the only way. I can’t lose him too. I can’t lose Oliver.”

“Your father… Did you…?,” her mother asked, fearing the answer, but all she could do was shake her head for a while, until her breathe became regular and she could find the strength to stare back at Donna.

“He was found dead in his own bedroom yesterday morning. He knew I would never actually become Ra’s, I would always find a way to escape my fate, as long as he lived. But with him dead and me as the only heir… I thought of running, finding Oliver and run away together, some place not even the League could find us. But then Thea, Roy and Maseo told me Cooper had taken him and I knew there was no other choice,” she laughed involuntarily, “Maybe this was his plan all along. Cooper’s, I mean. He always wanted me to take my rightful place as the Demon’s Head so we could rule the world together, side by side. Once Oliver was off the board, there would be nothing left for me.”

“Well, we can’t let that happen,” Donna slowly helped her regain her balance.

“I don’t even know if Oliver’s still alive,” Felicity whispered, and the pain in her voice was so evident her mother covered her shoulders with her arm and pulled Felicity towards her, kissing her forehead.

“Of course he is, and we are going to rescue him,” that strength in her look, that sense of a mission. Felicity recognized it from past times when her look had been the same, but wherever that strength was right now, it was not with her. Donna cupped her face with her soft hands, her eyes tender, and for the first time in a long while she felt like Felicity’s mother, “Look, I know I’ve hurt you, Felicity. I know I left you when you needed me most and there is no excuse for what I put you through. I will not ask for your forgiveness. But I’m here now,” she smiled and felt as Felicity’s fingertips slowly found their way towards her arms, “And I’m not leaving you anymore. Nor will I let Oliver leave you.”

“You promise?”

“I promise, my love,” her daughter involved her in a hug and she held her in her arms, just like she had done so many lifetimes ago, when Felicity Smoak was just an innocent little baby sleeping in her arms, “No one you care about is going anywhere anymore.”

They finally let go, and when they did, Donna saw something in Felicity’s eyes she hadn’t seen before: hope. There was a smile gaining form in her lips, and as the tears dried on her face and her eyes transformed, a little sparkle igniting inside, she knew she wasn’t too late, “So, what is the plan?”

* * *

 

It was about four and a half in the afternoon when Felicity’s private jet landed in Starling City, but she didn’t show up at the Queen mansion until the sun had set completely and the city was at the hands of darkness. When she did, Donna was no longer by her side and everyone was already there, waiting for her.

“Felicity, where the hell have you been?,” Diggle asked in a harsh tone, but seconds later he was engulfing her in a tight hug.

“I’m sorry I kept you waiting for so long, there were some things I had to take care of first.”

“We were worried about you,” Lyla answered tenderly, but she knew Diggle had other things in mind.

“What kind of _things_?”

She gave him a look, “Nothing you have to worry about. Now, are there any news?,” she almost chocked at the sight of Moira, her arm around Thea’s shoulders and her eyes locked on Felicity. She was about to run towards her, beg for her apology, but Maseo’s voice drew the attentions for himself.

“The search was a dead end. Wherever Cooper’s hiding, he does not intend to be found.”

“We warned the police during the night, but they haven’t been making much progress either,” Thea continued, “We also did a press conference this afternoon, so every social media in Starling is out there looking for Ollie to get a good story, which would explain all the reporters at our front door,” she noticed Felicity’s surprised look, “…But you didn’t see them. How could you _not_ see them?”

“I… like the back doors better,” she replied nervously, but nobody seemed to care very much about how she had gotten there. Good. It would still be a good idea to close the window in Oliver’s room if she was planning on being accepted into this house more often, though. She almost laughed at that thought. Her not-yet-boyfriend was at the hands of a psychopath and she was thinking about the next time she would pay him a visit.

“Did you bring what I asked?,” she turned to face Diggle and Lyla.

“We did,” he answered promptly, “Good thing the Queen Consolidated CEO is on our side, or we’d have a lot to explain,” he joked as Moira and Thea, with Roy just behind them, guided the others towards the home office, upstairs, which was packed with computer equipment, all branded with the QC logo.

“Can I just ask… why do you need _all_ this? Wouldn’t a simple computer be enough?,” Roy asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Maybe… If we weren’t planning to take down Cooper and get Oliver back. Since we are, I don’t want to take any chances,” Felicity spoke as she sat down in front of three computer screens showing several images from traffic cameras and other text documents none of them quite understood.

“What are we looking for, exactly?,”

“I’m not quite sure, Thea,” Felicity answered again, making what looked like a satellite image of Starling show up on one of the screens, “At this point, anything that can tell us where they might be. What area did you and the police cover, Maseo?”

“The police can’t do much without any intel. I’ve searched any abandoned warehouse and basement in the Glades, but no sign of Cooper,” Maseo looked apprehensive before he spoke again, “Felicity, I hate to be the one asking this, but are you _sure_ Cooper is in Starling?”

She paused for a second, her hands freezing. Of course she _wasn’t_ sure, there was no way to know where he was. But it seemed like the most likely scenario, right? Everything seemed to make perfect sense about that theory. Unless it didn’t. Unless they were channeling all their resources to look for Cooper in Starling while he was laughing at them in any other corner of the world, torturing Oliver. She shook her head to make those thoughts go away. She knew Cooper. She knew how his mind worked and she knew how to play his games, “He _is_ in Starling.”

“Well, then maybe we’ve been looking at this the wrong way,” Diggle let out, his hand resting on his chin and a focused look on his face.

“What do you mean?”

“We thought Cooper was in Starling because there was a _reason_ he could be here, but we’ve been searching for him in random places without taking a moment to think like him. He might be a psychopath, but he is a smart one. Just like there was a reason for him to come to Starling, there must be a reason for him to be hiding wherever he is.”

“What else could he want?,” Thea’s shrill voice called, “He already has my _brother_.”

The room was silent for a moment. Then, Moira cleared her throat and added, “He needs a plan B.”

“A plan B? What are you talking about, mom?”

“He needs a way out in case things go wrong,” Felicity explained, glancing at Moira and immediately locking her eyes on the computer screens again, “Cooper is arrogant, but like Diggle says, he’s not an idiot. He knows we’re coming for Oliver and he also knows, just like him, we are planning something. In case we do beat him, he would want to make sure he can get away.”

“Self-preservation,” Roy completed, “Always make sure you make it out alive.”

“There are a few ways to escape, but I can track most of them,” Felicity started typing like crazy and in the screens multiple surveillance cameras’ footage showed up, “I can run facial recognition at the airport, but the train stations are not that well-prepared. Many of them have shut down the surveillance cameras to save money.”

“I don’t think Cooper would leave by train anyway,” Maseo pointed out, “He had to come here somehow, probably on a League helicopter. How can we be sure he won’t use it again?”

“Finding a League helicopter would be the easiest thing in the world, and Cooper doesn’t want it to be easy.”

“Roy’s right. Whatever he used to get to Starling is long gone, Cooper is good at covering up his tracks.”

“I can get the police to monitor every exit road, to make sure he doesn’t flee out of town. One less thing for us to worry about,” Moira suggested, and soon left the room to make the phone call. For some reason, it allowed Felicity to take a deep breath and relax her stressed muscles.

A tiny hand rested on her shoulder and she looked back to find Thea smiling at her reassuringly, “My mother… she is very protective of her children. But she’ll come around, eventually.”

“What makes you so sure?,”

“Because I did.”

Felicity could hug Thea until her arms fell off for that, but both of them knew there was no time to waste, so the smile she gave her had to do the part. A few minutes later, Moira returned, assuring the police’s full support as the patrol cars were headed towards the exits as they spoke. Only then did Felicity notice her phone hadn’t stopped ringing in the other room, probably reporters. This wasn’t easy for her either, she knew it, and even though she wanted to comfort her, Felicity trusted Thea’s judgment. She knew Thea was right. She had done some pretty bad things and if she wanted to be worthy of Moira’s forgiveness, she had to make up for those. She had to bring her boy home.

For a while they stood in silence, seven people staring at three computer screens waiting for something, _anything_ , that would tell them what to do next. But the instructions came from elsewhere, “What if his plan B involves something you cannot control?”

Their heads turned to Thea, who rushed to explain, “I mean, you’re monitoring planes, trains, cars… but all of those seem too _predictable_. He would also have had to do an extensive recognition of the surroundings of every road or train station, and that would take a lot of time, which he doesn’t have.”

“What are you saying?”

“I just…,” she sighed heavily, “I think we’re missing something.”

“The ships!,” Felicity suddenly yelled, starting another one of her incredibly fast typing sprees and making images of the docks of Starling City pop all over the three screens.

“Where did you pick up on those computer skills?,” Roy asked, astonished.

“My job at Queen Consolidated involved a little bit more than fixing internet problems,” she answered simply, focused on the task at hands, but still glancing at Moira from the corner of her eye. The woman didn’t seem upset, she was too focused on what Felicity was doing.

“What do you mean by _ships_?,” Lyla asked.

“According to the docks’ registries, a new ship was moored to the dock this morning, one that is registered in the name of…,” she paused, swallowing dryly before continuing, “Oliver Queen.”

She could hear a smothered whisper leaving Moira’s mouth, “My baby.”

“How did you know that?,” she heard Roy’s voice somewhere.

“Cooper used to mention how he wished Nanda Parbat was near the sea so we could go anywhere by boat, growing up,” she tried to contain a sigh, but it was stronger than her, “He was always fascinated by them.”

Diggle’s hand rested on the same place Thea’s had been, “Felicity, are you alright?”

She rubbed her eyes with the back of her hands, not sure if she was unbelievably tired or trying not to cry, “Yeah, I am. According to the satellite footage there are quite a few League men surrounding this building right here,” she pointed at a little dot in the docks, “It used to be the place where the security controlled the footage from the surveillance cameras, but they got better facilities and it ended up becoming an abandoned building.”

“The perfect place for Cooper to take Oliver,” Maseo stated.

The sound of guns being loaded immediately filled the room, “So, who’s ready to take down this maniac?”

“Diggle, wait,” Felicity got up and suddenly realized she was standing in the middle of a semi-circle of Oliver’s loved ones. Not terrifying at all, “There’s something I need you all to know.”

“What is it?,” Thea took a step forward and it almost felt like she was encouraging her, telling her they were all in this together.

“In case this goes wrong… I have a back-up plan. But I need all of you to do exactly as I say,” they kept quiet. Dead quiet. Was that a sign they were willing to follow her plans or were they just too scared of her to say no? “Me, Diggle and Lyla are going to get Oliver back.”

“Just the three of you? Why don’t you let me and Maseo go with you? We could-”

“I need you to stay with Thea and Moira,” Felicity interrupted, and even though her voice wasn’t cold, it had an assertive tone to it that the others seemed to respect, “And, as I was saying… If something goes wrong, I have someone ready to be the bait, but I’ll need Maseo to protect them,” Diggle looked at her and Felicity knew he was aware of who that person was, but none of it mattered right now. She took a deep breath, turning to Roy now, “If that does happen, Roy, I need you to move Moira and Thea to this safe house,” putting a closed envelope in his hands, she proceeded, “There will be people there to take care of them, but this is very important: I need you not to be seen until you leave them, and then return to the Queen mansion. Once you do, walk out the front door and meet Maseo at the second address in the envelope. Make sure everyone knows you’re leaving the house.”

“What’s all this for? I don’t understand,” Thea’s voice seemed on the verge of breaking. The nerves were taking over her. Over all of them.

“Cooper is a dangerous man, Thea. I want to make sure you’re safe, that’s all, okay?” She nodded, but Felicity knew she wasn’t convinced. She wished she remembered how to lie better, but there was no time.

“Anything else?”

“In case we’re in trouble,” she took a little tech device from her pocket and made sure Lyla and Diggle took a good look at it, “This will serve as a GPS and inform all of you. Then, and only then, you call the police and come rescue us. Are we clear?”

Diggle, Lyla, Maseo and Roy all nodded their heads. They were trained soldiers and ready for battle. Thea and Moira, on the other hand, tried their best to hide the fear, but it was slowly taking over them and Felicity could tell. Slowly, with the most reassuring smile she could find, she approached them and held Thea’s hand, “You’re the strongest woman I’ve known in a long time, Thea, and I know some pretty tough women. You took on from your mother.”

“I don’t seem that strong now.”

“I know you are. And right now, all of us, but especially your family, they need you to be strong, okay?,” she nodded once more, a tear on the verge of leaving her eye. Felicity noticed something on Moira’s look that resembled gratitude, but she was too busy to fully understand it, “We’re just going to take on some bad guys and bring Oliver home, that’s all. Piece of cake.”

Felicity started making her way towards the attic before the others did, still fetching their weapons while hers had been ready since ever. Her hands trembled as she reached the disposable phone in her left pocket, _“Are you there?”_

_“I’m all set,” a voice answered on the other side._

_“Are you sure you want to do this? Because if you don’t, we can find another way, we can-”_

_“Felicity, I promised you I’d help you, and I will. Don’t worry about me and go do what you have to do to save Oliver.”_

_“I won’t let anything happen to you, I promise,” and then she hung up the phone_.

“Who were you talking to?,” Diggle’s voice caught her so off guard she almost tripped.

“Are you trying to get me killed _before_ there is any actual danger?”

“Felicity, I know you. Better than anyone else around here, and I know you’re planning something. Something you _won’t_ tell us. And I’m scared you might get yourself hurt.”

“I’m sorry Diggle, but I can’t tell you anything,” she whispered as the others approached them gradually, “But it’ll be okay. I know what I’m doing.”

“I know you do. That’s what I’m most scared of,” he let out, and soon they were saying goodbyes.

Felicity handed Maseo another envelope with instructions and an address he could only open once he got a call from the disposable phone and then the three of them headed back to Oliver’s room to exit through the still open window. If everything went well, Moira and Thea would have Oliver back in their arms soon. If not, they would have to sleep in the house he grew up in, feeling powerless and desperate, with no way to know what was happening. Felicity wished she could do anything else for them, standing on the window sill, but then the cold air surrounded her body as she jumped and her head was clear of any thoughts other than Oliver.


	9. Home Is A Battlefield (Final Chapter - Pt. 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team finally put their plan to rescue Oliver into action, but something goes wrong and Felicity, Diggle and Lyla end up chained up and vulnerable to Cooper and his men, just like Oliver has been. Or do they?  
> Felicity Smoak knows what pain feels like, but now that it's Oliver Queen's life at stake, she will learn the meaning of sacrifice. To save the ones you love, sometimes even home can feel like a battlefield.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it, guys. The end. Well, not quite, since we still got Pt. 2 and the Epilogue, but it is formally the last chapter of Danger. I would like to thank every single one of you who has stuck with me through all of this, whether you were a silent reader or a loud one, whether you commented or just left kudos, whether you read the whole thing or just the occasional chapter... This fic is yours. I couldn't have finished this if it weren't for you, so from the bottom of my heart, thank you.  
> I decided to break the final chapter into two smaller ones in order to have more room to play with the story and characters and make it way more interesting, as well as to be sure I could tie up every single loose end and write something that would honor the story and the readers. I am a perfectionist, so leaving anything left to explain or unclear is really not for me. I figured this would be the best way to keep it captivating while being able to write something that is worthy of being called "The End." This is the same chapter, only it consists of two separate parts which will be published in different days.  
> Speaking of publishing, real life got in the way and I couldn't update during the weekend, so I am doing it as soon as I could. The second half of Home Is A Battlefield will be published along this week and the Epilogue somewhere between the next one.

Their feet made no sound when touching the ground, but she was still very aware of their presence. They had driven until the docks, but from then on they kept going by foot in order to prevent any of the soldiers from finding them and alerting the others, ruining their plan. _Her_ plan. Suddenly there was a lump in her throat, stopping her from moving. She felt Diggle’s hand on her shoulder and realized the reason why her feet refused to move, was because they had arrived.

On their right, the abandoned building was surrounded by at least seven guards, and Felicity found herself wondering how could the actual police in charge of securing the docks allow them to stay there. But she knew the answer: they were either dead, in chains or under threats. Had she ever really been a part of that world? The invisible black mantle she used to wear seemed to weight on her.

“I need a distraction,” she whispered so that only the two people behind her could hear, “A big one.”

“What do you need?”

“See that electric panel over there?,” she pointed at what seemed like a dark box attached to a building a few steps away of them, “It controls the power system for this part of the docks. I need you to turn _every switcher_ off.”

“But then there won’t be-”

“I was raised in the darkness,” Felicity interrupted the other woman before she could finish, the same murmured tone, “I think I can handle a little lack of illumination. And I need a _big_ distraction.”

Without another word, the couple slowly stepped away, making their way toward the other building while her tiny body remained pressed against the cement wall. _Wait_. She would have to do a lot of waiting that night, and if anything was contributing to fasten her heartbeats, it was definitely it. She kept quiet for what seemed like an eternity until she saw every light in a few miles turn off at the same time. It was time.

Felicity waited silently, carefully, every nerve in her body fully alert of her surroundings, until Cooper’s men started running everywhere trying to figure out what had happened. Just like she figured. If she wanted to act, she had to do so _now_. Even though her legs were shaking harder than she initially thought, Felicity walked with decisive steps, stopping every once in a while to lean her back against the wall, allowing the shadows to hide her from the League traitors. Only one of them was smart enough to come that way.

She saw as his face turned blank with fear and his mouth opened in a small “ _o”_ , not sure whether to scream for help or beg her to live. She couldn’t take the risk, not now that she was so close. Not now that Oliver stood mere feet away from her, across the wall. With a move that was more robotic than human, she grabbed the dagger trapped to her right wrist and leaned the blade against the soft skin of the man’s neck. He stopped breathing instantly, but she couldn’t force herself to dig it into his flesh. Oliver’s voice kept playing in her head like a broken record: _Felicity, I don’t blame you. For any of this. You’ve been through so much, and yet you still managed to keep that light inside of you._ He believed in her when she herself couldn’t. He believed she had a light inside her. If she was going to try and be worthy of his love, she had to preserve that at all costs. Slowly, she drew the dagger from the man’s neck and wrapped her arms around his neck just long enough for him to pass out, dropping his body to the floor without a sound. A hence of a smile made its way toward her lips, but she was too busy to notice.

All the men must have left at Cooper’s command, because when she pushed the door to the room open, there was no one there. No one _but him_. She knew that wasn’t right. She knew in the back of her mind Cooper would never be stupid enough to let his prisoner alone to go check out some power failure, but her mind didn’t work properly when it came to Oliver Queen.

And there he was, standing right in front of her, so close she was sure if she reached her hand she could touch him, and yet she stood, her body frozen, her eyes locked on his closed ones, inches away, so close she could feel his warm breath against her dead cold skin. His arms were held above his head by ropes, his shirtless body covered in bruises and cuts, fresh blood on his lip and close to his left eye. They had tortured him at least two times. Her throat thickened, making it almost impossible to let the air in, and she chocked. Her entire body was forcing her to sink to the floor and let the smothered sobs take over her, but she fought it. She had to be strong, stronger than she’d ever been. For him.

Slowly, almost involuntarily, she stretched her arm and her palm touched his face, leaning towards her. His touch sent shivers down her spine and all her lost strength, somehow he made it come back. His face twitched in pain and she instinctively pulled her hand away, afraid to hurt him, but that just made him come to his senses faster. Where his skin had touched her hand was an emptiness she couldn’t fight. She stood still, her hand lingering in the air between them, as his eyes slowly opened. At first, he did not react. She thought he wasn’t seeing her, she thought they had drugged him, but what she was most terrified of was that he didn’t want her there. He would never forgive her, and he had every right not to. She was the reason he was there. She was the reason he had been taken prisoner and tortured. Suddenly, she wished she had killed the man outside with her dagger. She wished she could have killed him and watched as the blood peacefully left his body, because somehow that would calm her broken heart. Instead, she let the tears rush down her face as she sunk to the floor, powerless this time. Oliver no longer believed in her. Nothing else mattered.

She watched him blink his eyes repeatedly from the ground, and she noticed he looked like he was trying to push something away, his vision clearly blurry from whatever drug they had indeed injected him with, as the needle marks on his wrists showed. She wished she could help him, but all she could do was sob and the thought of that made the tears fall faster. But a few seconds later, he mumbled something. It was nothing more than a whisper, but she heard it as clear as if he was standing in an auditory with a microphone, “You’re a hallucination.”

He thought she wasn’t real. In a second, the small pieces of her heart glued themselves together as a flash of hope ran through her. _He thought she wasn’t real_. Her heart ached for him thinking about how many times he had pictured her coming to rescue him, and realized it was all a lie. And if he hallucinated about her, that had to mean… She forced herself to stand up, so her face was a few inches away from his as she whispered, “I’m not a hallucination, Oliver. I’m right here.”

He didn’t answer. He kept blinking his eyes harder, trying to get her face out of his head.

“Oliver, can you hear me?”

She saw what she thought was a flicker of happiness in his eyes, as if he desperately wanted to believe that it was really her in front of him, but it vanished as quickly as it appeared, “You’re not real.”

The tears wouldn’t stop falling and for some reason she couldn’t make herself touch him again, as if touching him would break her into tiny pieces once and for all. However, the pain and confusion in his eyes broke her more than a thousand knives running through her chest would. She was familiar with pain, it was _him_ who she wanted to shield from it, and she had failed. “Oliver, please,” she begged, her voice shaking “Look at me. I’m real. I’m here.”

“No, she’s not,” a voice sounded from a few feet away, and she didn’t have to turn to know who it was. Slowly, she reached for the knife tugged underneath her trousers and wrapped her fingers around the handle. Her body turned in one quick, certain move and the knife left her hand with deadly precision, but she let out a groan of frustration when Cooper easily grabbed it with his bare hand when it was just about to hit his forehead, “The same person who trained you, trained me. You didn’t think it would be that easy to kill me, did you?”

She wished he couldn’t see the tears in her cheeks, but there was nothing she could do about it now, “Let him go and we’ll find out.”

“Well, the thing is…,” he approached Oliver with large steps, ignoring her presence. She thought about stabbing him in the back, but there was a reason he was not afraid of her, and she needed to know what it was, “I don’t think Oliver wants to go with you. He knows you’re not real, right _Ollie_?”

“What the hell are you doing with him!?,” she cried out, but Oliver didn’t seem to hear her and Cooper was not interested. Her heart started beating faster as the despair took over her.

“What kind of twisted poison is this? What did you inject me with?,” Oliver finally spit out, his words sounding like bullets.

“It’s a new thing we’re working on back in the League. Seems pretty real, doesn’t it?,” Cooper grinned, and she knew that grin was meant for her.

“Oliver, listen to my voice. It’s _me_ ,” she tried once more, “It’s Felicity.”

He held his breath for a few seconds before turning to Cooper and asking, without a single drop of emotion in his voice, “Make it stop.”

“Oh, I will. Just accept my terms and this will all end.”

“I won’t let you lay a hand on Felicity, do you hear me? Do whatever you want to me, you won’t touch her!,” he screamed, but the next sentence was closer to a murmur, as if he was talking solely to himself, “I promised her I wouldn’t let you hurt her.”

“I’m sure she would be radiant that you wanted to keep it,” his lips twitched in an evil smirk, “If only she was here…” Oliver’s eyes wandered through the room in pain and finally rested on her, but never looking straight into hers, as if he was afraid to let himself see her.

Felicity launched herself toward him unconsciously but Cooper’s strong arm held her by the waist when her hands were inches away from Oliver’s arms. With a quick move she pressed her elbow to his chin violently and he let out a groan, but even though his grasp softened, he was still holding her. “You touch me one more time and I’ll make you regret it,” Felicity let out between gritted teeth.

“Now that is the girl I know and love,” he let her go but she could still feel his arm around her and smell his perfume, so noxious she felt like she would throw up.

“You are not capable of love,” she returned his evil smile. How deeper could she venture in the darkness before it dragged her inside? “Now, you and I both know I can take care of your men easily, just as I can easily kill you. Let’s spare ourselves those unfortunate events and go our separate ways.”

“I couldn’t agree more. But for now, I’m going to need you to let me tie your hands above your head in order to keep you still,” for a moment, it felt like they were in a competition to find out who had the most twisted version of a smile, his grinded teeth ripping through his thin lips.

Laughter burst from her mouth before she could do anything about it, “And why would I let you do that?”

“Because,” he started as he gestured to someone at the door who she couldn’t see at first, “I have a feeling you don’t want to see your friends get shot in the head. I think you actually care about them.”

Felicity held her breath as John and Lyla were pushed inside the room with guns against their back, along with five men in League vests. She knew this could’ve happened, so why did her heart feel so damn small?

“Felicity, we’re fine. Don’t give him what he wants. You know what we’re here for,” she heard Diggle’s voice. Felicity turned to glance at Oliver, but he looked so confused and lost she felt like someone was stabbing her heart with the world’s sharpest blade.

“Let them go, now,” she almost yelled.

“Seems like you want a lot of people to run free tonight, my dear,” Cooper joked, “But what would I get in return?”

“ _Your life_ ,” Felicity hissed.

“You see, I don’t think you can kill me. Right now, I’m the only one who Oliver believes to tell him what is real and what isn’t,” he took a few steps in her direction, and even his walk seemed playful, “I don’t think you’d want to spend the rest of your life with a person who thinks you’re a ghost.”

“The effects will run out. I’ll explain it to him,” her voice didn’t sound as powerful as before. Deep down, she was terrified he was telling the truth.

“Maybe, maybe not,” he frowned with fake concern, “But would you really want to risk it? Poor, defenseless Oliver, never knowing who to believe for the rest of his days…”

Were those tears in her eyes? All she knew was she couldn’t see anything clearly anymore. She thought she heard Lyla ask what was going on somewhere, but she couldn’t be sure.

“You know, if there’s one thing you’ve taught me these last few days, is that love is a powerful weapon,” he continued, and he was so close to her now she could smell his breath when he spoke, “Now I know you love those two in the back, but would that be enough? Personally, taking in consideration where you come from, I don’t think so. You’d eventually let them die. But Oliver?,” his hand gently tapped the skin on Oliver’s arm and she could her him growl from the pain, “Oliver, you wouldn’t let anything happen to him. You really love this guy, don’t you?,” was that contempt on his voice?

She stood silent for a moment. The only time she had told him she loved him was right after their first time, back in Nanda Parbat, and that seemed like years ago now.  It was their little secret, whispered in his ear so that no one knew Felicity Al Ghul had a weakness, and now Cooper was asking her to say it in front of him. To break her. “I do,” she finally whispered, and her eyes turned to Oliver, but if he had heard her, he had had no reaction whatsoever. The tears were on the verge of falling and she blinked repeatedly so they would go away, but they didn’t seem to want to leave her eyes.

“Well, that sucks for you, you know?,” he spoke and she could almost feel the anger in his tone, “What did your father always tell you? The Heir to the Demon doesn’t choose love, or happiness. Those are weaknesses. And now you have one.”

“Everyone has one. And I know just what yours is,” she answered back.

“Unfortunately, I’m the one with the leverage here, not you. You love him so much, you can’t stand him being in pain. I can see it in your eyes. And even if you tried to run, you know I wouldn’t hesitate to kill him. So that leaves only one choice,” Cooper grabbed a piece of rope from the floor and wrapped it around her tiny wrists. Felicity desperately wanted to struggle, but instead allowed herself to be guided toward a spot across the room from Oliver and stood quiet as one of Cooper’s men tied the rope to a metal ring falling from the ceiling.

“Felicity, don’t let them do that to you,” Diggle said, and it sounded more like a beg.

As soon as she was chained, she realized the rope was stronger than she thought it would be and the ring was not that fragile after all.

“Oh, don’t worry,” Cooper answered in a playful tone. He had won a battle, but that didn’t mean he was going to win the war, “I’ve got enough rope for everyone.”

Felicity watched silently as Diggle and Lyla were also chained, struggling more than she had, but still not enough to stop Cooper’s men. Another one came to tie up her feet and inspect her, but the fact that Cooper was too busy giving orders to some other traitors gave her the chance to whisper to the man in front of her, “You know who I am, don’t you?”

“Felicity Al Ghul,”he answered in fear.

“Good. Then you know how good my training is when it comes to killing. I may be tied up right now, but we both now I won’t stay like this forever, and if you don’t do exactly as I say right now, you’ll be the first person I’ll go after when I’m set free,” she wasn’t sure her voice had sounded as strong as she wanted it to, but by the terrified look in his face as he nodded vehemently, it had done the part, “Good. You will take the knives from my arms, the gun tucked inside my trousers and the dagger in my left foot. When Cooper asks you to check again under my shirt, and only then, you’ll take the small knife close to my neck. Are we clear?”

But the man had no time to answer, since Cooper turned around in that exact moment. One by one, she felt the weapons being taken from her, trembling hands trying as hard as they could not to touch her skin, and felt a weight leave her shoulders. The man handed every single one of them to Cooper and her heart raced. “Did you check every inch of her body?,” his smirk made her sick, but now was not the time to worry about that, “Did you check behind her long, beautiful hair?” Cooper slowly approached her with calculated steps and she swallowed dryly. _Was he smart enough?_ He caressed the back of her neck until he found a small knife and immediately let out a little laugh before stepping away again, “Oh, Felicity… You’re way too predictable.” _No, he wasn’t._

She glanced at Lyla and Diggle, their eyes locked on her. She wanted to reassure them, tell them everything would be alright, because it had been her who had planned this, but she couldn’t, and part of her didn’t want to. If they had known about it, they never would’ve agreed, and she _needed_ them to agree. All she could do was stare right back at them with the most peaceful gaze she could find and, somehow, that seemed to relax them. Diggle gave her an almost imperceptible nod and Lyla smiled gently back at her. Felicity’s eyes then travelled to Oliver, but he was facing the floor, and she knew he was on the verge of breaking. Her heart ached so hard she wanted to rip it away. That hadn’t been the plan. That had _never_ been what she wanted. And all she could think about was holding his strong body in her arms, but the distance between them seemed like a gigantic ocean, impossible to cross.

“Now you enjoy your first night here, alright?,” Cooper yelled, close to the door, “I’ll get a nice, relaxing shower and a good night sleep; or what’s left of it, anyway. Make yourselves comfortable. It’s not hard, just ask Oliver.” He nodded at a man who happened to be passing next to Oliver and the League traitor immediately punched Oliver hard in the stomach. Felicity wasn’t sure at first if the scream had come from her or Oliver, but she soon realized it had to be hers, because he was aching too much to make any sound. She desperately tried to release herself from the ropes, but all she could do was open wounds in her wrists. The sobs started to come and she couldn’t control them as she half-yelled, half-cried Oliver’s name.

Cooper laughed and returned to face Oliver, his muscles tense from the pain, “Are you sure you don’t want to think about my offer?”

Oliver didn’t say a word, but his eyes scanned Cooper as if the fire inside them was burning him slowly. The dark-haired man pulled his fist back, but before he could throw a punch Diggle’s voice stopped him, “You stop or I swear to God I will kill you!”

His hand lingered in the air for a few seconds until he slowly dropped it and the only sounds in the room were Oliver’s deep breath and Felicity’s shy sobs, “Alright, I’ll leave him alone for the night. Give you a little time to catch up. We can have fun in the morning.” He stepped out of the room, but she knew he wouldn’t go too far. Still, he had made sure to leave four guards to watch over them during the night. One for each of them. Had her hands not been tied up, she could handle them all easily at once. Right now, with her body shaking so hard and her eyes filled with tears, though, she didn’t feel like she could handle anyone. She wished she could take the punches for him, but she knew Cooper would never let that happen. He knew he would hurt her more by hurting him. She closed her eyes for a while, reliving the scene. Oliver’s face as the man’s fist impacted his stomach. She wouldn’t let that happen _ever_ again.

“Felicity, please tell me you have a plan,” Lyla asked from the other side of the room.

She took a glance at the four League traitors standing across the room. A fire igniting inside her and burning every inch of her body dried the tears on her cheeks and made her eyes flicker, “I won’t let them hurt Oliver ever again,” her face turned to him, and even though she knew he didn’t believe she was real, she felt better saying it to him, “I promise.”

Felicity wondered what time it would be. 4:00? That would mean she still had a total of approximately six hours ahead of her until something, _anything_ , could happen. Six whole hours of staring into Oliver’s empty eyes and uselessly trying to reach out to him. She wasn’t sure she could survive the first ten minutes.

But she did. She kept her eyes open for as long as she could, making sure Oliver was okay, even when he fell asleep, his head leaning to the side. She would try to focus on his breathing, but it seemed so fragile she couldn’t hear it from where she stood. Then, she stared at his chest, expanding every time he inhaled, but the bruises intensified the guilt like a sharp blade against her stomach. Eventually she gave up to the exhaustion and allowed her body to rest, a light sleep taking over her. She wasn’t sure how long she had been asleep, but it seemed like a minute after when she heard a door open somewhere and abruptly opened her eyes, only to see Cooper coming in. He didn’t notice she was awake, and by impulse, she closed her eyes again and pretended to be sleeping, trying as hard as she could to keep her body still, her breathing regular and her ears open.

He seemed genuinely worried, but not about any of them. Something was happening, out of there, which had him nervous, “How the hell do you know she is telling the truth?”

“There is no way the woman would know about the Heir of the Demon unless she is who she claims to be,” she heard one of Cooper’s men whisper. They kept their voice low not to wake any of them, but Cooper’s tone was still angry.

“Do you understand what’s at stake here? I am not about to give her something to use against me because your suspicions were wrong,” he must have been running, because his breath was hitching.

“We’re positive she must be somehow related to her,” another man confirmed, but his voice was wavering.

“Send a few men to investigate. Make her a prisoner if you have to; I don’t want that woman to escape. She can be our biggest leverage,” Cooper finally decided, and she could hear at least five men leaving the room. Only then could she feel his eyes scanning her, she was sure, but he still wasn’t moving. The rhythm of her breath threatened to increase and she struggled to control it. After some time, she heard the door open and close quickly. Carefully, Felicity opened one eye just enough to make sure it had been Cooper leaving. When she realized she was right, the blonde allowed herself to relax her tense muscles, stretching as she could. Oliver, Diggle and Lyla were still asleep, but there were no other men in the room now. Just the four of them.

Even though there was no clock in there, she could hear it ticking in the back of her head, making her heart race as she was forced to wait once more, now for Cooper. What was going on? She tried to act like she didn’t have a clue, which turned out to be pretty easy. Her heart was beating like crazy, her breath very far from regular, her body aching from an entire night tied up. But she couldn’t let any of those things distract her. This was it: the only chance she would have to do something without a single person knowing.

Slowly, so she wouldn’t make any noise, she wiggled her wrists, pressing her lips together when the pain was harder to bear. Yes, she had tried to break loose the night before and failed, but this time it was different. This time, she was alone, and focused. She wasn’t sure for how long she had been moving her hands carefully until she felt the rope give in. It wasn’t much, but it was something. A little effort, and the grip wasn’t so tight. She had been grateful for her tiny wrists once or twice in her life, but this was definitely the time she had felt happier about it. With one hand still trapped, she forced the other out and managed to free it. A wave of adrenaline rushed through her body, preventing her from thinking clearly. She thought about grabbing a sharp object and cutting the other three free, so they could all run away. She was about to untie the rope around her feet when her eyes locked on Oliver, his numb and tired body pending, only held together by the ropes tying him up.

There was no way he could survive the run. He wouldn’t be able to walk, but even if the three of them were strong enough to carry him, that would mean they couldn’t be alert or holding weapons. When Cooper’s men ambushed them, and that wouldn’t take too long, because with Oliver in that condition they would have to move slowly, they wouldn’t be able to defend themselves and protect him at the same time and the League men were not great at restraint. This way, they stood a chance. If they tried to run now, they were dead.

A tear she hadn’t noticed before rushed down her face. It was a tear of frustration and pain, because she knew even though she was one of the best trained assassins in the world, she was still powerless when it came to saving the ones she cared about. She heard men approaching quickly from outside. Her hands trembled and only then did she notice the cuts all around her free wrist. The rope was probably stained with blood, but those who didn’t look carefully wouldn’t see it. She could still do it. Set free and defeat Cooper and all of his men. The steps were closer. All she had to do was untie another rope and find a weapon. They were so close she could hear their voices. Cooper was with them. Surely she could handle them. Her entire body tensed up with anticipation.

The door opening.

Her hand loose, bleeding.

Cooper entering the room.

Both her hands tied up by a powerful rope no one would ever know she managed to release herself from.

“Felicity, you’re awake,” he almost yelled, waking the others up. The evil smirk had returned to his face, which could only mean one thing: one more leverage. “Great, I have someone who wants to talk to you,” he took a phone from some man’s hands and put it next to her ear.

_“Felicity? Is that you?”_

Her heart stopped beating for a moment. It was Donna’s voice. They had her mother.

_“Mom, listen to me! You’re going to be alright, okay? I promise. I wouldn’t let them do anything to you.”_

_“I know, my love, I’m o-,” she started, but Cooper pulled the phone away._

“I don’t think you can do much to help her right now.”

“She had nothing to do with this. Keep her out of it,” she meant for the words to sound powerful, but instead it sounded like she was begging him to let her go, which wasn’t that far from the truth. He hung up the phone and she felt as a piece of her heart had been ripped away, so painful she had to scream to let it out. She wouldn’t hear about her mother for a while now. That was all she was going to get.

“I didn’t know you two had been reunited! Tell me, because I’m quite curious,” he took a step forward, “who found who?”

“That is none of your business.”

“It became my business when she went to the local news to ask for help on the Oliver Queen rescue,” he explained, savoring every single word, “Now I’m pretty sure she is not a Queen… My men took her for an interrogation, just in case. Turns out, she was the one and only Donna Smoak. You can only imagine how happy I was to know I could finally meet my mother-in-law after all this time.”

“You’re sick,” she almost spit the words to his face, but it didn’t seem to affect him.

“Might be, but this sick guy has got your boyfriend _and_ your mother,” he was about to blackmail her and she knew it, but there was nothing she could do, “And now you sitting here with your hands tied up, as pleasant as the view might be, is no longer enough for me to spare both their lives.”

“What do you want?”

“What I’ve always wanted. To rule the world,” he grinned, “And have you by my side as I do.”

“What do you need me for? My father is dead,” Felicity felt like she should’ve put more emotion into that sentence, but the truth is she had had no feelings toward her father for a very long time, “You can take his place. Be the Demon’s Head like you’ve always dreamed of.”

The news seemed to catch him off guard. He didn’t know; but he put himself together so easily no one but her could’ve noticed, “And you think they would respect me? Like they would you? This is an ancient organization. They’re loyal to the chosen Ra’s Al Ghul, and we both know that’s you.”

She kept quiet, partly because she wanted to challenge him, but also because she had no idea what to say. He was right. And all of that, it was pointless. She had done it already, she had taken her father’s place as the Demon’s Head. The ring wasn’t there, but the weight and the guilt were almost palpable. Still, she couldn’t tell him, and even if she did, what guaranteed Cooper would let the others go? If anything, the fact that she was now Felicity Al Ghul, the Demon’s Head, would terrify him, so much so he would probably end up doing something stupid. And she couldn’t risk that.

Suddenly, one of the League traitors stepped closer and whispered something in his ear. The others didn’t listen to it, but she was so close to them she could distinguish some of the words, “We’ve been watching… he left… they’re alone… attack…” At that moment, she realized the other three were awake by now, Lyla and Diggle speechless, watching them, trying to free themselves but with no success, and Oliver almost numb, as if the pain and exhaustion were too much for him to focus on anything at all. She was almost thankful for that. If he were lucid, he would be in deeper pain.

Cooper seemed to ponder on the other man’s words for a few seconds until a hint of a smile crossed his lips as his gaze shifted to Oliver, “We’ve been watching your family lately, Oliver…”

The chained man suddenly wiggled, his head lifting to look Cooper in the eye, and Felicity recognized the man she loved above anything else for a few seconds, “Stay away from them.”

“We did, you know, but now their personal bodyguard just left them to go help your beloved,” he made a dramatic pause, “That has to hurt. The woman you love endangering your family.”

“What the hell are you talking about? Felicity is miles away from here.”

“Or is she?,” Cooper glanced at Felicity, and for a moment she thought he was going to tell Oliver the truth. She should’ve known better, “But maybe you’re right. Maybe she is. And if so, then there’s no one to protect your loved ones, is there?”

“Don’t you dare touch them!,” Oliver yelled, and his gritty voice was the same Felicity remembered. The way he loved made her love him even more. He could be in unmeasurable pain, on the verge of dying, but he would never give up on the ones he loved. That was who he was, and that was who she needed to be.

“Oh, I won’t,” Cooper laughed a little, “But my men may.”

Felicity saw as he signaled toward them and every single one of the League traitors prepared to leave the room. The panic on Oliver’s eyes was almost unbearable, but she knew Roy had taken them to a safe place. She had asked him to, when she told them about the bait. When, earlier that night, she told them how she had planned to use her mother as a bait to lure Cooper’s men out, praying Maseo and Roy could handle them all. She knew they would come after Oliver’s family, and once they didn’t find them, the police would be ready to take them down. That would leave Cooper unprotected, and she could finish him off and rescue Oliver. The plan was working out.

But what if it wasn’t? What if Maseo couldn’t surprise the men and take them down and ended up a prisoner? What if Roy was too late, or hadn’t had the time to drop Thea and Moira in the safe house? What would happen to them? What would happen to her mother? Would they all die because she had been willing to use every single person Oliver loved to save him?

She closed her eyes, forcing herself to calm down. Maseo and Roy were trained soldiers, she knew that. She had gone over this plan time and time again in her head. Nothing could fail. Nothing would…

Cooper turned his body toward her so quickly she thought she was having a hallucination when he yelled at his men to hold on. Oliver took a deep breath, but she could barely breathe as the taller man walked towards her, “But that would be exactly what you want, wouldn’t it?”

Do you really think so?,” she tried her best to sound like she despised that idea, but her voice wavered, and he noticed, “I told you I loved Oliver. Why the hell would I want you to hurt his family!?”

“You wouldn’t,” he explained, his tone nerve-wracking. He was too calm, too _prudent_ , “That’s why they won’t find them there, will they? I would be leading my men to an ambush.” He walked calculatedly, one foot after the other, in front of her, “Just like your mother is. Showing up on television at precisely 10 a.m., when you were sure I’d watch? I should’ve known. You probably have men in both places, men who will take down mine so you only have to face me. Then you might win.”

“Felicity, is this true?,” Diggle spoke for the first time, and she couldn’t tell what that look on his face meant, nor did she care at the moment.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” her throat was so dry she wasn’t sure she was breathing anymore.

“But maybe I’ll just order my men to stick around,” Cooper suggested, and his voice sounded just like he used to when they would play hide and seek as children and he would always win, “Or maybe I’ll order them to kill your mother immediately. Or, who knows, I’ll just have a great time with Oliver here. Which would you like better?”

“Cooper, please-,” Felicity tried, but what started off as a terrifyingly calm speech turned into an anger mess of screams.

“How could you play me like this, Felicity!? What did you think, I wouldn’t find out about your little secret plan?,” his fingers cupped her face and squeezed tight, “I wouldn’t be _smart_ enough?”

“Stop, you’re hurting me.”

“Oh, but I will hurt you, Felicity. I will hurt you and everyone you love, and when I’m done, you’ll wish you never had tried to fool me.”

A wave of despair turned into anger inside her, consuming her. He had already hurt her, more than she ever thought was possible. He had destroyed her life and ripped her light away until it was so dark she couldn’t see anymore. All she had done, she had done to protect the one person she still loved above anything else, and if he thought he could take him from her as well, he was wrong. _Dead wrong_.

“You see, your master plan didn’t work,” he continued, his fingers still tight against her skin, but she could no longer feel the pain.

“That wasn’t my master plan,” she whispered in his ear, revealing the tech device she had pulled from her pocket and hid in her hand when she was able to release herself from the rope, “This was”. She noticed Diggle and Lyla recognized it, but they didn’t seem to look at it as some kind of miraculous way out. Because it wasn’t.

Cooper burst out in laughter which echoed all around the small room and made her head ache, “What do you think you’ll be able to do with a GPS device? Alert your already chained up friends? Do you honestly think anyone would come for _you_?”

But Felicity Smoak smiled. A triumphant, peaceful smile, “Why don’t you press the button, then? Watch all my hopes vanish when no one comes for me. Go ahead.” The device hit the floor with a metallic sound, rolling right to his feet.

Cooper lowered his body carefully so he could pick it up but stopped halfway, rising to his feet once more with his victory grin. “I won’t watch your hopes vanish,” he stated as his foot lingered in the air just above the device, “I’ll crash them.”

It broke easily beneath his weight, and Felicity could feel the liquid spreading through her veins with every heartbeat, and she wished her heart could beat faster. For a few seconds, that was all she felt. Then, her body crumbled and every single one of her muscles started to burn, as if she was about to ignite. She wanted to scream at the top of her lungs, but instead, the smile on her face widened.

“Felicity? Felicity, are you okay?,” she could hear coming from somewhere, but she wasn’t sure whose voice it was. All she could focus on was the unbearable pain running through every inch of her body and Cooper’s horrified look.

“What have you done?,” he kept repeating, as if she was killing him slowly. But she wasn’t. She was killing herself.

She could fight the pain. It didn’t hurt as much as watching Oliver being tortured, or knowing her loved ones could face the risk of being murdered. It didn’t hurt as much as watching the little boy she loved bleed to death because no one cared about who she had chosen, “You were so obsessed with destroying me,” she mumbled at cost through the pain, “You didn’t even notice there was no way that could be a simple GPS device.”

Cooper quickly kneeled at her feet, holding what was left of the little tech device. He knew what it was. It had been developed by the League a few years ago, but they stopped using it because of its major drawback. It was usually handed to targets while on undercover missions, because it looked like a GPS, but was wired to dissolve a capsule full of toxic poison as soon as someone pressed the button. The problem was, the capsule had to be implanted in the skin in order for it to work properly, because if the poison didn’t get into direct touch with someone’s blood in 30 seconds, it was harmless. Implanting someone unless they wanted to was quite the hard task, even for League members, so it became more of a suicide mission thing. And a suicide mission was exactly what Felicity was doing there.

“You injected yourself with lethal poison?,” he asked in despair, and she didn’t know it was possible to smile that much under tremendous pain until then, but apparently it was.

“Yes,” Felicity nodded, “And unless you do everything I say, I will let myself die here and the League will no longer exist, because the Demon’s Head so commands.”


	10. Home Is A Battlefield (Final Chapter - Pt. 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Felicity fights death with every bit of strength left in her body, Oliver asks her not to leave him. How strong can a love stand when it's the only weapon they have left to fight with?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This time, the notes will all be written at the end due to obvious reasons (I wouldn't want to spoil the end when you haven't even started reading yet, would I?).
> 
> It's the end, folks. No more third or fourth parts or extra chapters (apart from the Epilogue, of course). So please, just enjoy it. Cry and laugh and live the story, because that is all I ever wanted you to do. This story is yours as much as it is mine.

For the first time since they met, she knew Cooper was lost. Out of leverage, out of strategies, terrified, and Felicity couldn’t even feel pain anymore. He walked frenetically in front of her as his men untied the ropes that kept her members chained and dropped her body on the floor carefully. She was vaguely aware of her surroundings and the way her muscles trembled, but all she could see was Oliver, still chained up, staring at the floor where she stood. She couldn’t be sure he was looking at her, but it was enough as it was.

“You can’t _die_ ,” Cooper half yelled, half murmured, “You have to have a back-up plan. I just have to find it.”

“No back-up plan… this time…,” she struggled to talk because every move increased the pain.

“How long until…?,” Felicity wasn’t sure why he couldn’t make himself finish that sentence. He was all too familiar with death to be that affected by it.

“Who knows… One hour, one minute…”

He seemed like he wanted to yell at her, but instead kneeled beside her like she had done seven years ago. She remembered it like it was yesterday, how his blood tainted her clothes and her sobs echoed in the room as he told her it was okay to let him go. “What do you want?,” it came out as a whisper, but she knew he didn’t mean it to. He was broken.

“Lyla and Diggle,” her vocal cords ached more than she thought was possible, “Let them go… and take Oliver.”

Cooper didn’t say a word. All he had to do was nod slowly and the League traitors started unchaining Lyla and Diggle. It seemed to take forever and the pain intensified by the minute, but as soon as they were set free, they ran toward her, Diggle kneeling opposite to Cooper and Lyla clumsily fixing her hair.

“Felicity, are you alright?,” it was a dumb question, and they both knew it, but it was the only one Lyla could think of and she couldn’t blame her for it.

“It’s okay, I’m okay,” she tried her best to make her voice sound steady and calm, “I need you to take Oliver… somewhere safe. Heal him.”

“But you’re nearly _dying_ ,” Diggle’s voice sounded more tortured than hers.

“I’ll be okay. I’m not the one who needs you right now.”

“Felicity…”

“Diggle, please,” she struggled to move her hand so that she could caress the huge muscles on his arm and the smile came so naturally to her like breathing.

“We’ll come for you,” he promised, and by the corner of her eye Felicity could see tears rushing down the other woman’s face as she was forced to let go of her.

Cooper remained unbelievably silent, kneeled next to her and agreeing to everything she asked. His thirst for power didn’t seem so big now, but he had fooled her before and Felicity had learned her lesson. Right now, however, she couldn’t care less.

Diggle and Lyla rushed to unchain Oliver and Cooper’s men did nothing about it. In fact, they had been sitting there, watching with their trained blank expressions, not knowing what to do since the beginning. Her heart seemed to shrink as Oliver almost fell to the ground when the rope around his arms was untied, and she wanted to scream, but it got stuck in her throat and turned into a silent cry for help.

When Diggle slipped his arm under Oliver’s and Lyla did the same, she didn’t know what had happened at first. They were walking toward the door when Oliver suddenly pressed his feet against the floor with the little strength he still had left and whispered something only they could hear. She wanted to yell at them to run, to get out of there, but once more the sound dissolved in the air and she felt her heart racing in her chest. Even though Lyla was clearly struggling, Diggle carried Oliver’s weight easily. So easily when his feet changed directions and started walking toward her and Cooper it felt like in a blink of an eye Oliver was right there, a few inches away.

Letting out groans fueled by pain, he slowly lowered himself so he was sitting right next to her, and Felicity whispered his name because it was all she could do. Her vision was blurry now, and the sounds weren’t so clear anymore. The blood seemed to thicken inside her veins, causing her to wish she could end this quickly with anything sharp. Only Oliver was there.

For a few seconds, she couldn’t feel the pain. All she felt was hope and a love so big it couldn’t be held inside her tiny body lying on the floor. But then she heard Oliver’s low voice, “This isn’t true, any of this, is it?”

The question was meant for Cooper, but he didn’t answer. He inspected her face carefully and Felicity knew the only reason why he wasn’t confirming it, was because there was no point. She had won, and he needed her to stay alive no matter what. As soon as Oliver was out of there, the better.

“Oliver, please look at me…,” she grabbed his hand and felt his body shiver, but his eyes were still far away, “It’s Felicity. I’m here.”

“You’re not.”

Diggle and Lyla were no longer in the room, neither were Cooper or any of his men. They were the only ones that mattered, her hand in his where it belonged, “I am, Oliver…,” she took a deep breath, “And I’m sorry...”

“…I didn’t mean for any of this to happen…”

Not even a blink.

“But I want you to know… I love you,” his hand held hers tighter, but he still refused to meet her eye.

Felicity sighed, savoring his touch as if it could heal her pain, “You remember when we were back in Nanda Parbat, with my father… And I told him you had no place in my life? That the Heir to the Demon doesn’t choose love, or happiness?”

His eyes were filled with tears, but he was still too afraid to let himself see her.

“Well, maybe I was wrong,” the words came tumbling out of her mouth now, “Maybe I do want to choose love, or happiness… Maybe… Maybe I want to choose you.”

Oliver’s eyes landed on hers, and their smile lightened up the room. There was no pain, no poison or torture, no broken hearts, no plans or strategies. It was just them, staring into each other’s eyes, loving each other like they had never been given the chance to.

“Felicity?,” he whispered, and she placed her free hand on his face.

“Yesterday, when I came to get you, one of Cooper’s men found me. And I held the dagger in my hand and pressed it against his neck. I was ready to kill him. I would have, to get you back. I would have done anything to get you back. But then I heard your voice,” her smile was so genuine Felicity was sure if she was looking down at her, she wouldn’t recognize herself. She had never known true happiness until that very moment, “And you told me you believed in me. Nobody else ever believed in me, Oliver, but you did, from day one. Even before I knew it was there, you could see the light inside me. You loved me at my worst, when I didn’t deserve you…,” a tear rushed down her face and his shy smile warmed her heart, “And if we both make it out of this place alive… I would be very pleased to let you love me at my best.”

His face lowered until their foreheads were touching and he pressed his lips gently to hers. Felicity brushed her lips against his, carefully not to hurt him, and felt as Oliver ran his hand through her hair, soaked in sweat and water that covered the floor of the room where she lied. His mouth in hers took all the pain away, but it didn’t take the effects of the poison, and she started coughing, feeling the disgusting taste of blood in her tongue. He didn’t part from her until her hand was so weak it fell from his cheek to the floor, and even so he pulled away just enough so she could breathe, but even her breath was irregular and feeble.

“Hey,” he whispered in her ear, and his voice seemed so broken she desperately wished she could tell him everything would be alright, but she couldn’t. Nothing would be alright, because she was dying. “Don’t leave me now, okay?”

“I won’t,” but her voice was inaudible at this point.

“Felicity, you can’t die right now,” the tears that he had been struggling to keep away were stronger than him and started falling, wetting the skin of her face as his lips touched hers once more.

“It’s okay, Oliver. I have you by my side. That’s enough for me,” she was fighting every inch of her body not to give into the sweet, peaceful void that called for her seductively, but the fight had been going for too long and there was only so much her body could handle.

He felt like sobbing, but he couldn’t. After everything they had been through, he owed her that. The woman he loved was dying in front of him and there was absolutely nothing he could do about it, except hold her hand and watch as her smile faded, and that hurt more than the hours of endless torture Cooper had put him under. “Felicity,” he started, and his voice was wavering, “You changed my life in ways I could never imagine. You made me reevaluate everything I held dear and rethink the man I was. You opened up my heart in a way I didn’t know was possible and the only thing I regret is that I didn’t think of doing this sooner,” he smiled through the tears and caressed the skin of her index finger, “You’re everything I could have ever asked for and I want to spend the rest of our lives by your side, even if it’s just the next few minutes,” Oliver put one knee on the ground, ignoring the pain running through his body, “Felicity Smoak, would you marry me?”

Her body was clearly collapsing and there was nothing either of them could do about it, but the smile on her face as her eyes began to shut was enough for him. It had always been.

As the life was being sucked out of her, Felicity managed to whisper an answer in his ear, one no one could hear because it wasn’t meant for them. It was meant for Oliver Queen alone, the love of her life, the one who she wanted to spend the rest of her life with, even if it was just the next few seconds.

“Yes.”

* * *

 

Oliver blinked repeatedly to adapt his eyes to the clarity. The white floor, walls and ceiling reflected the sunlight that came from the window and almost made him blind after so many hours spent in the dark. A few seconds later, the outlines of two feminine figures became less blurry and he could recognize his mother and sister, standing at a corner. His heart sunk to the ground and he didn’t really understand why. Only then did Oliver notice he was lying in a bed with some tube filled with a transparent liquid attached to his hand and realized that was a hospital room. He was fine. He was safe. Then why did he feel like he had just died?

But his brain was too confused, whatever they were injecting him with should calm his mind as much as it did his body. By then, Moira and Thea had seen he was awake.

“Ollie!,” Thea screamed as she launched her tiny arms around him, and even though he knew that was supposed to hurt due to all his injuries, it didn’t.

“I’m fine, Speedy,” he whispered when he felt her face wet with tears against his.

“Thank God you’re awake,” Moira took his hand and the contact was just a distant numbness, but it made him feel warmer, “We were so worried about you.”

“It’s okay. I’m okay now,”

“I missed you so much,” his sister’s voice ran through his body like blood finally reaching even the tiniest of veins.

“There wasn’t a single day you weren’t on my mind,” he assured, running his free hand through her hair, “Are you okay? Did they hurt you?”

“I’m fine. They hid me in a safe place and when I got out I went to look for you and found out you had gone to Nanda Parbat. From then on, it’s been a mental plan to rescue you,” she smiled, “But you’re here now and that’s all that matters.”

“How did you get out?”

At that moment, a man in a white smock Oliver presumed to be a doctor entered the room. He seemed rather happy to see him awake, but not too much, which made him think he hadn’t been in great danger.

“Oliver,” his mother approached him and placed a tender kiss on his forehead, “I understand there’s a lot you must know, but for now you have to let the doctors see if you’re okay.”

“I feel fine,” he argued, but he knew there was no point in buying a war with Moira Queen, especially now that all he needed was her by his side.

The man in white stared at the monitors next to his bed for a while, inspected his eyes with a flashlight and made sure the liquid was still entering his vein. After that, he smiled nicely at him, but the smile didn’t spread to his eyes, “Everything seems to be going according to normal. It will take your body a while to heal, but in about a month you should be fully recovered. That is excellent news considering the state we found you in.”

“Does that mean I’ll have to stay here for a whole _month_?,” Oliver grunted.

The doctor’s answer was directed to his mother, “He will be discharged tomorrow morning, but we should follow him to see how he is recovering, at least once a week. Some special kind of Physiotherapy is something you should consider as well. He has been severely hurt, and even though nothing is broken, the healing process would be faster if he had the help of a professional.”

“Thank you very much, doctor,” Moira’s smile was genuine as the man walked out, “We will make sure Oliver has access to everything that can help him get better soon.”

“Diggle and Tommy are out there to see you,” Thea finally let go of him, balancing her body while holding on to the bed, “Want me to call them?”

“Sure,” Oliver answered, but for some reason his heart sunk deeper. _What was this? This feeling of being so incomplete, so lost, so… alone._

Thea was about to leave the room, but she stopped before disappearing behind the door, “I’m glad you’re okay, Ollie.”

“So am I, Speedy.”

Her steps became almost inaudible in the hallway until they could no longer be heard. Moira ran her hand through Oliver’s hair as an involuntary movement, and they shared a smile.

“My precious boy… It’s so good to have you home.”

“I’m sorry I left in the first place, mom. I never should’ve done that.”

“No, you shouldn’t. Not without telling me where you were going, anyway.”

Oliver raised his eyebrow, “You mean if I told you I was planning on killing one of the world’s best trained assassins, you’d let me go?”

Another knife buried deep within his heart, the pain almost causing him to roll his eyes and let out a whine, but he didn’t know why. What was so painful about that?

His mother’s soft giggle distracted him. He missed hearing her laugh. He missed her smile, her eyes and her understanding semblance, her touch and reassuring voice. He missed _her_. “You may be a grown man,” she said tenderly, “But you will always be my son. And I will always look out for you.”

“I know, mom,” he pulled her hand close to his face so he could place a kiss on her skin, “And so will I.”

Thea entered the room first, then Diggle, and then Tommy. He looked different. They both did. More tense, more worried, like something was weighting on them, and even though they were trying really hard, they were doing a terrible job hiding it. He thought it was his condition at first, but soon realized it had nothing to do with it. It was something else.

“Ollie!,” Tommy almost screamed as his hand gently tapped Oliver’s face. Oliver couldn’t help but smile at how alike he and Thea were. Like his two siblings, “I missed you man.”

“I missed you too, Tommy. Where have you been?”

“Well, you know, driving off the city like a lunatic because my best friend told me so, piling up hotel bills for said best friend to pay… The usual stuff,” his typical grin gave Oliver a feeling of normality, like everything was just where it belonged.

“I’m sorry, man. I wanted to call you soon, but things became a bit complicated.”

“That’s putting it lightly,” Diggle joked. Oliver vaguely remembered a time when Diggle used to be sarcastic on a daily basis and they would train together on some abandoned cave. It seemed like many lifetimes ago.

“Diggle,” it came out as a sigh, but a happy one, “It’s great to see you.”

“Well, we haven’t been apart for that long,” he commented, “But I’m glad to see you’re okay, man. I knew you’d survive this.”

“How so?”

“You’re a strong person, Oliver,” he was stating it, like it was an acquired truth, “Stronger than you might think.”

“How are you feeling, my dear?,” his mother asked.

He took his time before answering, as if he was a doctor looking at himself and examining what he felt. His members were numb, but he didn’t feel pain. Just an unshakable weakness and tiredness. And then there was that chain wrapped around his heart, squeezing it, hurting him, with no reason to do so. “I’m fine,” he finally answered with a grin he wasn’t sure was entirely truthful, “Just really tired.”

“We should let you rest,” she insisted, “We’ll come back later, when you feel better.”

“Don’t go anywhere,” Oliver joked, but he noticed it came out as something more of a beg. He felt desperately lonely.

“Now that my best friend is finally awake and ready to go again?,” Tommy asked as they walked toward the door, “Not a chance.”

“Feel better, man.”

“If you need anything, just… yell for us, okay?,” Thea said before shutting down the door, “We’re right outside.”

“Thanks,” he answered, but there was no one there to listen. He didn’t really feel like sleeping, but he knew it was the best for him, and more importantly, he knew he couldn’t stand spending the next few hours staring at the blank ceiling. That would probably bring some memories back, and even though he didn’t know what those memories were, he was willing to guess they weren’t the good type.

As Oliver closed his eyes and slowly gave into a peaceful sleep, images and flashes of a beautiful blonde woman filled his brain and his dreams, and he wished she was real. She made him feel like he was not alone, and for some weird reason, his heart beat faster when her face, half blurry like all dreams are, appeared to him.

He couldn’t tell how long he had been asleep when his eyes opened again, this time finding it easier to readjust to all the light. All he knew was the city was now lit up by hundreds of lamps and a beautiful moonlight against the dark sky. He noticed he could feel his muscles now, and even though he knew it was probably not the wisest idea, Oliver struggled to get up and grabbed the iron pole that held a bag with whatever liquid was entering his blood for support. He needed to walk, clear his mind, otherwise he was pretty sure he would go insane. He needed to not be inside that dull room. Slowly, he made his way toward the door, his legs still way too numb for him to properly walk, so he dragged himself out of there.

There was no one on the hallway apart from some nurses who were too tired of working to mind him, so he walked a few steps forward to see if he could find someone. Oliver wasn’t really sure what or who he was expecting to find, but something urged him to keep walking. And so he did. He walked until, a few rooms ahead, he spotted Diggle and Tommy. They were alone, their backs against the wall even though there were several chairs right next to them. That alone would appear to anyone as a preference, maybe they just liked standing on their feet. But for some reason, Oliver felt like it meant something else. Just like he knew they were not okay due to something else. But what was that _something else_?

Carefully, so they couldn’t hear him coming but he could get a better look, he walked a few steps and hid on the corner right next to them. At first, he couldn’t really make up what it was they were saying, but as his ears adapted to the distant sound of conversation, he understood it clearly.

“You really think it’s better for him this way?,” it was Tommy’s voice. Were they talking about him?

“I do. If he knew…,” Diggle sighed, “Oliver is in a fragile condition right now. Knowing could kill him.” They were talking about him. He walked closer.

“And not knowing could kill him as well. What about when his memories return?”

“Maybe they won’t. This was a very traumatic experience for him, and our brain tends to delete those kinds of memories to preserve our sanity. Maybe he’ll never remember.”

“And if he does?”

“If he does, then we’ll do what she told you to do. We’ll tell him it’s over.”

“I don’t think it’s fair that someone just decides what he can or cannot know for him, especially considering _her_ condition.”

They were talking about him. And they were talking about a woman.

“It’s the best for both of them and she knew it. It’s Oliver chance to start over.”

“What if he doesn’t want to? I mean, we both know how much they loved each other. Maybe he needs some closure rather than people hiding stuff from him.”

Oliver held his breath and it took all of his strength not to fall to the ground. Tommy’s voice kept playing in his head, _I mean, we both know how much they loved each other_. Whoever they were talking about, Oliver knew her. Oliver _loved_ her, and she loved him back. Was she his girlfriend? What had happened to her?

“What Oliver _needs_ ,” it seemed like Diggle was threatening Tommy, but Oliver couldn’t tell because he couldn’t see them, only hear, “is to forget any of this was ever real.”

“Even if it means forgetting the one woman he loved above anything else?”

There was a moment of silence and Oliver’s heart felt like it was about to leave his chest. He wanted to cry and at the same time he couldn’t move an inch. He was too afraid if he did anything at all, he would allow himself to remember. If he hadn’t already.

“Even if it means forgetting about Felicity Smoak.”

Oliver’s body couldn’t take it and he sunk to the ground, making a _bang_ that attracted the other men’s attentions. They ran toward him and seemed to be yelling for a doctor or nurse, but he couldn’t be sure. Nothing mattered. Not them, not his fallen body, not the pain. Only the flashes of memories that overwhelmed his mind.

_Them standing on the Queen Mansion balcony at the Christmas party. “Actually, some people might say_ _you_ _are the one who’s dangerous,” “You’d have to find out,” “Is that your way of asking me out?,” “No. But if it works for you, go with it,” “And if I wanted to?… Ask you out, I mean?,” “You’re Oliver Queen. I’m sure you can work that out.”_

Oliver’s heart ached too much to bear.

_Their first date. “What is this game you’re playing, Mr. Queen? Approaching me on parties, taking me to fancy restaurants… Should I be worried?,” “I would never hurt you,” “I know.”_

Tommy and Diggle tried to pick him up, and he couldn’t tell if they managed to.

_The time he learned who she viewed herself as. “I’m sorry, Oliver, I really am. I didn’t want to do this to you. But that dark mantle, this… This is what I am. A soul-taker. Someone took my soul a long time ago too, you know? And I could lie to you and tell you it gets better, but it never does. You just learn to bear the pain and fake a smile. But I never had someone to share that pain with, and you do. You have me. You will always have me, Oliver.”_

Soon, he was in his room, doctors all around, but their faces were lost in a haze.

_When she saved him from himself. “Aren’t you going to try to escape?,” “Why would I? It’s your choice, not mine,” “But you could take this knife from me in a second,” “Yes, I could,” “Why won’t you?,” “Don’t you see? I’m giving you a chance to save yourself.”_

He could hear beeping all around, hear the breath of the doctors as they ran all over the room, doing unimportant things.

_When he realized he could never hate her. “I couldn’t do it. So I had to make you think she was killed, and it had to sound convincing. So you would hate me,” “Hey. I don’t hate you, Felicity. I could never hate you,” “But this is all my fault…,” “Don’t you see? You saved my sister. And my best friend. You’re not a monster, Felicity. And this is not your fault.”_

“Oliver! Oliver, you have to listen to me,” Diggle’s voice called somewhere, but he couldn’t hear him.

_When he realized he was deeply, irredeemably in love with her. “You may think I don’t know anything about you, but you are wrong. I know how broken you are because of what you did in the past, and I know how terrified you are to stay here for the rest of your life. But I won’t let you run from those feelings this time. Felicity, none of this is your fault,” “You don’t understand,” “I do. You don’t think you deserve happiness, or love, but you are wrong. Earlier today, I told you Cooper was wrong, and you asked me why. Well… I love you, Felicity Al Ghul.”_

“Oliver, there’s something you need to know,” Diggle’s voice was closer now, even though it seemed like he was being forced to leave the room. Oliver struggled to focus.

_And when she told him she wouldn’t leave him. “Hey. Don’t leave me now, okay?,” “I won’t,” “Felicity, you can’t die right now,” “It’s okay, Oliver. I have you by my side. That’s enough for me.” Why couldn’t she keep that promise? Her pale face and weak smile were the last thing he saw, and Oliver held on to them as tight as he could. Because once he let go, he’d have nothing left._

“Felicity is alive.”

***

He stopped breathing for a moment and all he could hear was his heart monitor dangerously beeping. No, not all. There was something on the back of his mind, a voice. It was quiet, close to a murmur, but he could hear it, _“Oliver, please don’t leave me.”_ It was Felicity’s voice, _“Fight this. I know you can.”_ Was he dying? Was all of this a peaceful dream and he was almost reunited with her? But then he remembered Diggle’s voice right before he left. _“Felicity is alive.”_ She had kept her promise. She hadn’t left him, and he couldn’t leave her either. He was not ready to. Stuck in a limbo between life and death, Oliver held on to that light at the end of the tunnel as hard as he could. Felicity, Moira, Thea… they all needed him. He had to be stronger. He had to fight. For them.

Everything was quiet for a moment. Then, he felt the electric charge running through his body, awaking it. Bringing it back to life, and he reached back.

When he opened his eyes, only Tommy and Diggle were in the room, staring at him with the most terrified look in their eyes, like Oliver had ever witnessed before.

“Oliver, thank God man!”

“You know, Ollie, you really have to stop _almost dying_ , okay? I’m not sure I can take much more.”

Oliver’s lips stretched in a smile, but the rest of his face felt paralyzed. He remembered everything now, “Where are my mother and Thea?”

“They went home,” Diggle explained, “Before… all _this_ happened, we told them they could go get some rest, we’d stay here and look out for you. Guess we did a pretty lousy job.”

“Do they know about what happened?”

“Not yet. We decided to leave it up to you to tell them,” Tommy paused, and his eyes wandered around the room before landing on him again, “They’ve been through a lot already. When the others went to rescue you, a friend of Felicity’s, who is also a friend of Thea, and I’m quite sure you won’t like what kind of _friend_ he is…”

“Tommy,” Oliver interrupted. He really did _not_ want to hear about his sister’s possible boyfriend at the moment.

“Sorry. As I was saying, this guy, Roy, was looking out for them the whole time. He is with them now to make sure they are alright, but he was here earlier, before you woke up. He told me they didn’t get any sleep the night all four of you spent locked on that building at the docks. Then it was the safe house and amongst all that…”

“Wait, how do you even know about that?,” Oliver seemed genuinely confused.

“There’s a lot you don’t know, Ollie, and I’m certainly not the best person to explain it to you, but… this rescue mission, it was planned up to the smallest detail. There was so much more to it than any of us know.”

“How can you know that?”

Tommy remained silent and he paused, considering what he had just heard for a moment before asking, “Does this have something to do with Felicity?”

The room was still silent, but this time Tommy nodded. Oliver swallowed dryly and allowed his eyes to close for a moment. Even saying her name burned his throat and made his heart ache. He turned to Diggle, “Diggle, how can she be alive? I- I watched her die, right in front of me.”

“I’m afraid that’s a question for Tommy as well,” he answered simply. But how could that be a question for Tommy if they had never met before? If Tommy didn’t even know about Felicity’s existence?

Tommy sighed and moved uncomfortably in his spot before starting, “Two nights ago, I got a phone call from you. Turns out, it wasn’t really you. Felicity called me, telling me what had happened to you and asking for my help. At first, I didn’t understand how _I_ could be of any use against the kind of people you were dealing with, but it was you,” Tommy looked him in the eyes and there was a hint of a smile on his face, “And I would never refuse to help you. The next afternoon, she met me in a square near QC. A big crowd grants invisibility, or something like that.”

“So that is why she was so late when she finally got to the Queen Mansion,” Diggle remarked, as if he was following the whole story. Which made Oliver the only person in the room who didn’t have the slightest idea of what was going on.

“Yes. She told me how at 10a.m., there would be a woman on the local news asking for help to find you, who was her mother. She would serve as bait to lure Cooper’s men out, but she had League men protecting her. She also told me how someone named Maseo would contact Thea’s friend, Roy, so he could drop your mother and sister at a safe house before going to help him, leading Cooper to believe your family was unprotected so he would send the rest of his men to your house and be vulnerable enough for Felicity to defeat him. Then she handed me a syringe with a bright green liquid and made me promise I would make sure Moira and Thea were okay before I did anything about it. She told me to wait for a signal, that she had connected some device to my phone and when she needed me, it would ring. Except… it never rang.”

Tommy took a break and Oliver couldn’t understand if it was because he was tired of talking or if he wanted to give him the time to process, but either way, he was thankful for that. He thought only Felicity, Diggle and Lyla had come to save him, but he was so far from the truth. Eight people, he realized after a brief recapitulation, some of them whom he had never met, had risked their lives to make sure he could live his. A methodic, careful plan, putting together every single person’s best qualities to get him back. He felt the tears in his eyes and blinked them away, “Then how…?”

“When no men showed up at your front door, I realized something was wrong. When I got inside to check if Moira or Thea were still there, I found the computers in the office, and the red dot blinking in the map of the docks. I got there as fast as I could, but both you and her were already passed out. I injected her with the antidote and we brought you two here, but while you’re recovering quite well, she is… doing a bit worse,” Oliver knew Tommy was trying to sooth things so they didn’t seem so dark, but it only made the pain more unbearable.

“What do you mean, she is doing worse? But she is alive, isn’t she?,” he didn’t notice the despair in his tone until he finished.

“Oliver, Felicity injected herself with a lethal poison. A snake poison, Tibetan pit viper venom, famous among League members. When administered in the right amount, it doesn’t cause death,” he took a deep breath, “Felicity injected herself with just enough to have at max 30 minutes until she died. Tommy administered the antidote, but it might have been too late. The doctors say the next 48 hours are crucial.”

“You mean…,” Oliver ran his hands through his hair nervously, “In 48 hours, she can either be alive and well… or dead?” The question didn’t really ask for an answer, and neither of the men gave him one. All the pieces were finally there, the puzzle was complete, but he felt like it was worse than not knowing, “I want to be with her.”

“Oliver, you almost _died_ ,” Tommy asserted, “There is no way-”

“Yes, I almost died,” he interrupted him, sitting straight on the bed, “And I would’ve, if it hadn’t been for Diggle telling me Felicity was alive. Don’t you get it?,” the memory of her sweet eyes and her adorable, innocent smile filled him with a love he couldn’t contain, “She’s my reason. I couldn’t have done this, any of this, if it wasn’t for her. And she needs me now. So unless you want to tie me to this bed, and believe me, I’ve had my share of being chained up, so you can bet that won’t be easy on you, you’re going to help me get the hell out of this bed and take me to her room.”

“And what are we supposed to tell the doctors?,” Diggle finally asked.

“Tell them,” Oliver started to get up more firmly than before, “I feel perfectly fine already. There’s someone else who needs their help.”

Diggle and Tommy shared a look, but they didn’t have much time to decide. In fact, the decision had already been made, and all they could do was help Oliver walk down the hallway before he fell to the ground and added some more bruises to his not-so-small collection.

When they helped him inside a room a few steps away, which he recognized from when he had heard his two best friends trying to decide what was best for him, there was a blonde woman sitting in the chair next to the bed. Oliver tried to mumble an apology, but when his eyes landed on Felicity, the words got trapped in his mouth and his breath hitched. Even lying down, her body looked perfect under the sheets and her face looked rested, almost peaceful, more than he had ever seen her. He was mesmerized just by staring at her, and he could do that forever, hadn’t it been for Diggle pushing him slightly to get him back to reality.

His eyes turned to the woman sitting next to the love of his life. She had a long, lustrous hair like Felicity’s and sky-blue eyes as well. Her lips curled into a grin when she saw him, but something about her told him she was horrified something could happen to her daughter.

“Hi, I’m-”

“Oliver Queen, I know,” she completed, pointing a thin finger to a chair across the bed, “You can sit over there, if you want to.”

“How do you know who I am?”

The smile widened, “I know love when I see it, Mr. Queen. And you are just as in love with my daughter as she is with you.”

For some reason, those words coming out of that woman’s mouth made him feel better. She was one piece of Felicity’s life, and he wanted to get to know every single one, “I’m sorry, I never meant for any of this to happen.”

She snorted jokingly, “You know, my daughter is a very strong woman. Some would even describe her as lethal. Everyone can see that. What not many do realize, is that she has the purest heart I’ve ever known. And if she was awake right now, she would never allow me to accept your apologies. She did this for you. The fact that you are alive and well would be enough for her.”

He knew it was true, and his eyes drifted to Felicity’s face. How had he gotten to be so lucky?

“She will be okay,” he whispered.

“Yes,” Donna nodded her head, “Now that she has you here, she will. Thank you, Oliver.”

“I didn’t do anything.”

“Oh, you did,” she smiled at him once more, and this time he smiled back, “You gave her a reason to fight. You gave her a reason to love herself again.”

When he looked back, Roy and Diggle had already left. But he hadn’t, and he wouldn’t. Oliver grabbed Felicity’s free hand. It was cold, which sent shivers down his spine, and as he stared down at their hands, fingers intertwined, he realized it fit perfectly in his.

He spent the next 48 hours sitting in that chair, memorizing her skin, the way her fingers wrapped around his involuntarily, the way her eyelashes framed her eyelids and hid the dazzling color of her eyes, the way her blonde hair, spread in the pillow, made her look even more like an angel. He stood there for 48 hours, and then 62, and then a week, watching her sleep. He didn’t want to go home, he didn’t want to leave that hospital room if his life depended on it. Moira and Thea would come and visit him at least two times a day, bringing him meals, love and strength, and they would stay in Felicity’s room for a while with him and Donna, in silence, because their presence meant more than every word in the world could. Diggle and Tommy stopped by as well, and Diggle would talk to Donna as if they had known each other for a lifetime, so it didn’t take Oliver much to realize how they had met. Diggle even brought Lyla one day, and Thea brought Roy as well, and even though Oliver didn’t seem to mind him, he understood he was a good kid. He was happy for his sister. And then he looked at Felicity’s closed eyes, and wished he could be happy for them as well.

When her grip tightened around his fingers, Oliver thought it was a dream. It felt like a dream, after three weeks of waiting for something, _anything_ , to happen. The doctors had lost all hope after the first week, but he hadn’t, and neither had Donna. They took shifts at the bathroom for a quick bath and grabbed a bite of something in the cafeteria as the doctors ran tests on her, but other than that, they were next to that bed every second of every day. And every second of every day, Oliver silently asked her not to leave him, to fight this, because she could. Every second of every day, Oliver cupped her hand inside his and caressed her tender skin. Every second of every day, Oliver Queen fell more in love with Felicity Smoak, and wished wherever she was, she could see him there, sat by her, waiting patiently for her to come back, to hold his hand a little bit tighter.

So when she did, he didn’t believe it was real at first. He thought fate, or God, or the Devil, whoever it was that was controlling them, had decided to prank him. But he would recognize that grip anytime, anywhere. Her fingers blindly reached for his, pulling his hand to hers until there was no room left between them. Oliver’s heart was beating so hard he was sure Donna could hear it, or else why would she have smiled like that just moments before her daughter slowly opened her eyes?

He wanted to tell her something, damn, he wanted to tell her _everything_ , but the words wouldn’t come out and all he could do was hold her hand and wait until her eyes found him.

“Felicity, baby,” Donna let out in a sob, and the tears immediately started rushing down her face as she rested her head next to Felicity’s. Slowly, almost unperceptively, Felicity leaned against her and a smile made its way toward her lips.

“I missed you, mom,” her voice seemed hoarse and sleepy, but it was still every bit as delicate as he remembered it.

“I missed you too, my sweet daughter. I love you so much.”

“I love you too,” Felicity whispered back, and they held each other for a long time, pushing distance, time and pain away with one touch.

Suddenly, Donna looked across the room to Oliver, who was failing miserably at keeping the tears away, his hand clearly shaking. Smiling between the tears, she gestured toward him, “But I think there is someone else who would like to talk to you. I’ll be right back, okay?”

Felicity nodded, and when Donna closed the door behind her, her eyes turned to face Oliver and she froze. She had missed him so much. His touch was exactly as she remembered, and Felicity allowed herself to take a deep breath and inspect him, because they had all the time in the world. His bruises and cuts were almost completely healed, and even though he had let his hair and beard grow a little bit, he still looked as handsome as ever, with those sea-blue eyes and adorable grin dancing on his lips.

“Hey,” he whispered.

“Hey,” she answered back with a smile.

“I heard you saved my life,” Oliver joked for the first time in weeks, and it felt like the weight of the world had just left his shoulders.

“Good. I was afraid someone else would take credit for that masterplan,” she giggled, and it remembered him of why that was his favorite sound in the entire world.

“I wouldn’t believe them if they tried,” he winked.

“And why is that?”

“Well, for instance, you’re the one standing in a hospital bed after poisoning yourself with deadly snake venom,” Oliver stated, and Felicity’s glitter was replaced by a more troubled semblance, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-”

“No, I’m sorry. I broke my promise to you, Oliver, and I’m sorry, but I knew it was the only way to keep Cooper from getting what he wanted and make him release you.”

“Whatever the cost, right?”

“Oliver…,” Felicity sighed.

“Don’t you get it? I don’t care if I get to live another day if it means I’ll have to spend it without you, Felicity.”

“And I would never forgive myself if I lost you without even trying to do anything about it.”

“Hey,” he placed his hand on her cheek and she leaned toward it, “you will never lose me.”

“How can you be so sure?”

Oliver smiled as his thumb stroked the soft skin of her face, “We survived an army of trained assassins. We survived your father and Nanda Parbat. We survived Cooper, and any other thing that got in our way. Don’t you think if we were meant to lose each other, we already would have?”

“Oliver…,” her eyes shined with tears, “When you said you wanted to spend the rest of your life with me… Did you mean it?”

He lowered his face just enough so their lips were inches away from one another. Then, Oliver closed the distance between them, pressing their lips together in a sweet kiss. Felicity opened her mouth slightly and his tongue touched her, licking at her lips, tasting her. She tasted as wonderfully as he remembered, and God, he could do that forever. Reluctantly, they parted when neither of them could breathe any longer, staring into each other’s eyes just a few inches away. Oliver’s thumb made its way toward her lips as he smiled, “I was never as certain of anything in my life as I am about this. If I could marry you tomorrow, I would. Nothing makes sense without you, Felicity. I don’t make sense without you.”

“Good,” her smile lit up the whole room, “Because I don’t make sense without you either.”

“There’s just one small problem.”

“What?”

“I don’t really know how the Demon’s Head’s marriage rituals go. But that’s something I could learn, if you really insist,” his smirk was absolutely adorable, so much so she could barely focus on anything else.

“I’m guessing my mother told you,” she breathed out after a brief moment of silence.

“She might have mentioned it, yes,” he nodded. However, and to her surprise, he didn’t seem upset, on the contrary; he looked peacefully resigned, like she could be the leader of the world’s greatest assassins’ organization and he would still love her just as much. The love in his eyes warmed her heart and spread all the way to her fingertips, her hand placed on top of his.

“Well, you won’t have to worry about that.”

He seemed to be caught off guard, “How so?”

“I am shutting down the League.”

Oliver was speechless for a few moments, and his next words were almost stuttered, “Can you _do_ that?”

“Well, like you said… I’m the Demon’s Head. I’m pretty sure that gives me the power to do whatever I want,” Felicity tried to understand the look in Oliver’s eyes, and at first it was like an unbreakable code to her. She wasn’t used to looks like that. But then she remembered the look in her mother’s eyes as she told her the plan to save Oliver, and Lyla and Diggle’s stares every time she did something good, and she realized it. It was pride in his eyes. He was proud of her.

“And are you _sure_ you want to do this?,” his semblance turned a little more serious, “Felicity, nothing would make me happier than seeing you finally letting go of that darkness and embracing the light inside you, but this is huge.”

“I gave this a lot of thought before I did what I did. Trust me, I am sure,” she took a deep breath, and her bright blue eyes became as peaceful as they had been for the past weeks, when she had been asleep, “My past… It’s always going to be dark and twisted and tortured. I have done a lot of things I am not proud of and I am not trying to erase or forget them. But I was lucky enough to find someone who believed in me when I could not, who showed me I had a light within me I thought was long gone,” she smiled tenderly at him, “I want all of the others to have that chance as well.”

Oliver planted a lazy kiss on Felicity’s forehead, grabbing both her hands with his when he talked, “You are truly one of a kind.”

Felicity gently brushed her lips against his, “So are you, Mr. Queen,” she paused at Oliver’s surprised face, “What? Does it sound weird? I thought I’d give it a try but I can, you know, _not_ give it a try again if you don’t want me to.”

“It’s just,” Oliver’s smirk widened, “It reminded me of someone.”

“ _Someone_?”

“A girl I met at a Queen Family Christmas Party once. She was quite beautiful, if you ask me.”

Felicity smiled broadly, “What was her name?”

“Felicity,” Oliver answered, “Felicity Smoak.”

THE END.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, here we are! THE END.  
> First things first, there are a couple things I would like to say about this final.  
> 1- At first, Danger was supposed to end with Felicity's death. It's just who I am, a mean writer who wants to make her readers cry and suffer from severe angsty feels until they are traumatized for the rest of their lives. Except I couldn't ever be that mean. I understand there has been a lot of angst to this fic, especially because it has such a dark tone, and believe me, it is as painful to write as it is to read. Keeping that in mind, I decided to put you out of your misery and give this story a happy ending. Not only did the characters deserve it, you did too for coming all this way. So here's my gift to you! Enjoy.  
> 2- If you are wondering what happened to Cooper and upset because I didn't deal with it, please don't be. I am perfectly aware that that is a storyline that needs closure and all will be adressed. I initially thought of including that explanation in this chapter, but then the ending turned out so unique and special, and I think it reflects the ultimate purpose and goal of Felicity's journey so well, I couldn't change it just to make sure everything was said right now. I chose the meaningful final and to deal with Cooper later, but worry not, fellow readers, the bad guy is not forgotten.
> 
> Now on to the cheesy and personal stuff. This, as many of you might know, is my very first fic. Because of that, Danger will always have a special place in my heart, because it'll always be my baby. I put hours and hours of work into this. This story made me cry, but it made me laugh as well. It kept me awake at night and stressed me out to no end, but in the end, it was all worth it and I couldn't be more proud of what it turned out to be. I may not have thousands of readers, but the ones who do read my fic are all that matter to me. You made this fic what it is today. You inspired me and you are the sole reason why I could take this all the way to its end. If I am proud of it, you should too. Thank you so much for reading, thank you for all your support, through kudos and comments and the lovely tweets I get every single time I publish a new chapter. You made me a better writer and a better person.  
> After the Epilogue is done, I will be taking a break from writing. I will be writing one-shots, maybe ficlets even, but nothing this big. I want to make sure when I come back, it will be with a well-developed idea, and I have also decided I will write the entire fic before I start publishing it when I write another one, to prevent stress. Deadlines are a writer's worst nightmare. However, I do have some ideas that I am working on and I am really excited about it. A whole lot of fluff this time. I want to experience writing something with a lighter tone and lots of cheesy romance and cuteness. When I do, I will let you all know.  
> Until then, thank you so much for accompanying me on this journey! I love you all.


	11. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few months have passed since Felicity nearly died in Oliver's arms, and life is a bit different nowadays. Thea has been planning the wedding frantically, not leaving much room for Oliver and Felicity to spend some quality time together, but in the night of the rehearse dinner, they decide to solve that tiny problem.
> 
> After all, it's wedding eve. They deserve one weekend off, even if Cooper has just broke out of Iron Heights.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so incredibly sorry for making you wait this long for an Epilogue, but between school and the million projects I decided to embrace this year, it has been impossible to write this. Still, hey, this is it! After one whole year, "Danger" has finally come to a decisive, official end. (No, I'm not crying. Nope. Not one bit.)
> 
> And of course, just like I promised, it ends on a good note. Smut is always good, right?
> 
> Enjoy, and thank you so much for having ventured on this little fun ride with me. I love you all, and this fic is for you and you only.

She moved her head slightly and a lock of blonde hair set loose from the beautiful braided bun on her head. Carefully, she put it back in its place and felt a prickle on her wrist, the one in which she had implanted the snake venom a few months ago. Felicity knew there was nothing there anymore, and yet she couldn’t shake the feeling of the liquid running through her veins. Some nights, she even had nightmares about it, and the pain felt just as real as it had when she lied on the floor of that building at the docks.

Nowadays, Oliver spent most nights at her place in Starling City, so they could have some privacy away from his own family, and in those nights he would wake her up, kiss her forehead and tell her everything was alright. It felt good, reassuring, in a way she had never known before. He promised to take care of her and for the first time in a long while, she believed him.

She wiggled uncomfortably in the chair placed in front of the huge mirror on the guest room of the Queen Mansion, where she had spent the last few days making sure everything was ready just on time for their wedding the next day. Her throat went dry and she took a deep, calming breath, but the lump was still there. _You have Thea_ , she thought to herself in a useless attempt to slow her heartbeats, _she’s the best wedding planner of all times. You’ll be fine. Plus, how hard can it be to put a ring on another person’s finger and say “I do”._ She had practiced it time and time again and yet she still got cold feet every single time she whispered the two little words to herself.

In a second, the door cracked open with a bang that made her heart skip a beat and her body jump involuntarily at the intrusion. She didn’t remember being such a scaredy-cat. With a scowl, she turned to see Thea’s bright smile as she half walked, half ran toward her, “You know, I could be naked in here.”

The young girl frowned in confusion and Felicity remembered Oliver did the exact same thing, “I don’t exactly see the problem with that. Plus, how could you possibly not have put on something if the rehearsal dinner is in about 15 minutes?”

“You’re right,” she sighed, “I’m just…”

“Nervous?”

“I was going to say agitated,” she mumbled between gritted teeth.

“Well, either one works,” Thea placed her hands on Felicity’s shoulders, staring at her through the mirror, and she felt a weight leaving her entire body, “Look, it’s okay to feel stressed out and terrified. I know you’re probably not used to it, but that is what _normal_ humans feel when they are about to make such a life-changing decision as this one.”

“Not helping.”

“Ugh, right, I’m sorry,” she breathed out and a smile danced on her lips, “My point is, it’s going to be alright. How could it not?”

Felicity turned in her seat so she could face her soon-to-be sister-in-law in the eye, “Well, for starters, I’m not a _normal human_. I grew up in a castle made of stone in the middle of nowhere with masked murderers everywhere I turned. I have _killed_ people.”

“So has Roy, and I love him anyway,” her grin became tender, just like a young sister’s would. In the past couple of months, they had grown really close, and Felicity loved that proximity, “Besides, I don’t think my brother fell in love with you just because of your pretty face.”

“Then why _did_ he fell for me?”

“I have no idea,” she replied naturally, shrugging, “That’s something you would have to ask him. Hopefully he will be romantic enough to write that down on his wedding vows. But if you ask me… I think you _not_ being normal had something to do with it. It makes you unique. Special.”

Felicity’s lips stretched in a smile and before she could figure out what she was doing, she got up and threw her arms around Thea’s thin body, whispering in her ear, “Thank you.”

A soft knock on the door and a man’s voice asking Felicity to come in interrupted the sweet moment. Once she allowed him in, Detective – or was it Captain now? She had lost track of his titles a while ago – Lance calculatedly walked toward her, looking down at the floor almost as if he was afraid of her. The assumption was probably right, she figured.

“I have something I have to share with you, Mrs. Smoak,” he spoke, and his tone was dead serious, “It’s about your kidnapper.” Right, she forgot. To the rest of Starling City, she and Oliver had been taken by a man who wanted to be paid a substantial amount of money to let them go. She hadn’t heard from Cooper ever since the day she poisoned herself, and she had had no interest in keeping up with his whereabouts. He couldn’t hurt her anymore. She had won. Yet, the mere thought of him was enough to make her feel sick to her stomach.

“I apologize for coming here on the eve of such an important date for you, but I thought you should be informed he somehow managed to escape Iron Heights,” her heart almost dropped to the floor, but she managed to keep herself together with moderate effort, “This morning, one of the guards in charge of the daily inspection noticed his cell door had been violated and he had vanished. The building was fully scrutinized and the prisoners are being interviewed as we speak, but so far there has been no clue as to where he might be other than this letter,” he reached for his pocket and handed her a white piece of paper with his handwriting on it, “He asked for the paper and pen a while ago. We had no idea it could help him escape.”

“He didn’t need it to escape,” she said simply while stretching her arm to grab the note, but couldn’t force herself to read it.

“All due precautions are being taken so that he doesn’t harm you or anybody else again,” Lance declared, but there was a slight note of insecurity on his voice which Felicity immediately picked on, “The city borders are being monitored and I will personally make sure my best men stay at this house’s front door 24/7 for as long as he is on loose. We will catch this son a bitch.”

“Sadly,” she sighed, raising her head. She had been staring at the paper for a while now and yet her brain couldn’t process the words, “You won’t. This man is very well-trained. If he doesn’t want to be found, he won’t, and if he wants to come into this house and hurt any of us, it doesn’t matter how many men you have guarding it, he will.”

When the Captain – or was it Detective? – almost dropped his chin and went speechless, she realized who she was talking to. Trying hard to sound a bit more worried, like a _normal human_ would, Felicity concluded, “But it would be nice to have some guards protecting the entrance. Thank you for telling me, Captain.”

“Don’t worry, he will not get to you. I will personally make sure of it,” he affirmed, as if she had been the one calming him down and not the other way around.

“Have a good evening, Captain.”

He seemed to stumble on his own feet as he left the room, “And you, Mrs. Smoak. Good luck for the big day tomorrow,” and the door shut.

Felicity Smoak felt like dropping to the floor for the first time since it had all happened, but she was able to gather the strengths to make it to the bed and sink into the soft silk quilt. The paper was still in her hand, and she was still not brave enough to read it. Once she did, it would all start again. The panic, the war, the killing. She had been running from that world at such speed she had almost forgotten all about it by now, but Cooper’s escape brought it all back. It wasn’t that she didn’t know he would escape eventually, because no League men could ever be held by a simple prison cell. It wasn’t that she couldn’t protect herself against him either. It was the timing that terrified her. Precisely one day before her and Oliver’s wedding, one day before all their loved ones were confined to a single, gigantic house with a billion hiding spots, all of them potential targets for him to execute his own personal vendetta against herself.

Even though she had ended the League of Assassins formally, and despite many being thankful for it and inclusively offering her their eternal loyalty and admiration, promising they would still give their lives for her at any given time, others weren’t so happy. People who are born evil rarely want to give light a chance to shine inside of them, and the dismantle of the organization earned her quite a few powerful enemies, and Cooper some very needed allies. She wasn’t stupid enough to think they weren’t keeping track of her, and they weren’t stupid enough to think she wouldn’t be prepared for any attack plan they could come up with. However, with Cooper on the loose and leading them, the few rogue members could become dangerous. Part of her was always aware that was the main reason why she hadn’t wanted to hear from him all along. As long as she didn’t know where he was, she could pretend he was gone, somewhere very far where he couldn’t hurt anyone anymore. But that wasn’t Cooper, and they both knew that all too well.

When the door opened for the third time, she was extremely close to slitting the person’s throat, hadn’t it been for the soft voice and the familiar sound of the footsteps. “Hey,” Oliver’s head peeked from outside the door, “Thea told me you didn’t seem so well when Captain Lance came to see you.”

“It’s bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding,” she answered, still staring at a blank dot in the ceiling. Felicity could hear the door shut and Oliver walking toward the bed. She felt the weight of his body next to hers when he sat on the end closest to her.

“Technically, this is just the rehearsal dinner. I think we’re gonna be fine.” When she didn’t say a word, he ran his hand through her messy hair spread on the beige quilt, “What did he want?”

She was still looking up, “Cooper got out. Of Iron Heights, I mean.”

There was a brief moment when he stopped caressing her hair and took a deep breath, but after that the rhythmic movements continued and he sighed, “I figured.”

Finally, she moved her head to the side so she could see him, which he responded to with a weak smile, “That’s it? That’s all you have to say?”

“What was I supposed to say?”

“I don’t know, _something_! A psychopath capable of murdering your entire family just escaped a prison the day before your wedding and the only answer you can come up with is _I figured_?,” she screamed a bit too loud. The room was silent for a while, and she bit at her lower lip, “Sorry. That was harsh.”

“It’s okay.”

“He left me a note, apparently,” she handed him the creased paper, “I haven’t been able to read it yet.”

“What do you say we read it together?,” at her affirmative nod, he moved closer to her and held the sheet so that both of them could see it. They could feel each other’s heartbeat in the portion of skin brushing against one another,  and the instinct to grab the other’s hand was mutual.

“ _Dear Felicity,_

_Remember when we were children, and we used to tie ourselves up with strong ropes and see who managed to get free faster? You would always win. It would take me hours to untie the stupid ropes around my wrists and you would sometimes even do it for me out of pity. Fortunately for little old Cooper, breaking out of prison cells: not that hard._

_I heard you’re getting married. Terrible decision, if you ask me. Not as bad as shutting down the League of Assassins, because hey, that was pretty damn stupid. It will come back to bite you in the ass, take it from a guy who actually belonged to the League. You were never one of us, but you’re mistaken if you think you will ever be one of them. You see, the problem with you is you’re one of a kind. You don’t fit in. You have a darkness inside of you which will haunt you for all of your miserable life, and yet are too pure to give in to it entirely. One day, when Oliver realizes it, he will leave you as well, and you will end just like you started. All by yourself._

_But that's not the point; not for now anyway, and this is getting awfully long. Please don’t believe I would be so stupid as to stay in this lousy, terrible-smelling town of yours where you probably have your most dedicated allies ready to find me and show me what an actual prison looks like. No, when you read this letter I’ll be long gone. Maybe I’ll pay my hometown a visit, I heard some of the old members are still gathered in Nanda Parbat. Poor folks, it’s not that easy to get a job when your CV consists of several ways you know how to kill someone._

_Or maybe I’ll go to Mexico, I’ve heard there are lovely beaches there. But don’t worry, I won’t forget you. How could I ever forget my first love?_

_Yours sincerely_

_Cooper_

_PS: I hope you have a lovely wedding. Still thinking of pink roses for your bouquet?_

A single teardrop fell from her cheek, wetting the paper and making one of the words almost illegible, “This is all my fault. There is no way he could have known about the roses, I told that to Thea during the flower choice. He must have someone watching us. We have to find him, we have to-”

“Look, Felicity…,” Oliver interrupted, taking the sheet away from her and into what seemed to her like the back pocket of his trousers. He helped her up so they were sitting in front of each other, “I don’t think there’s anything we can do about Cooper right now. When the time comes, we’ll deal with him. Right now, we have a couple dozens of people who care about us waiting for the groom and the bride to come down for their rehearsal dinner, and that is all I care about.”

“What if he tries to do something? What if he hurts someone?”

“Could we really stop him if he wanted to?,” he asked, placing a hand on her cheek a second later, “Yes, we can hire a security team and be alert, but there will always be danger for the people in our orbit.”

“In _my_ orbit, you mean,” Felicity corrected, but his finger slid to her lips.

“ _Our_ orbit. As of tomorrow, you’ll be my wife, and I’ll be your husband. You didn’t make me do any of this, and if I remember correctly, it was actually me who proposed,” his playful smirk worked wonders when it came to relaxing her, and he knew it, “It was my choice when I decided to stay in your life, to love you, and I keep making that same choice every single day, and every day I am more and more sure it was the right one.”

Every time Felicity Smoak smiled was like the first time for him. It was that fascinating. Oliver leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss on her lips, but they tasted so _damn_ good. Soon the kiss lost the innocence it initially carried and his tongue was exploring her hungrily. They hadn’t been _together_ for what seemed like an eternity because his little sister kept Felicity occupied with the wedding planning all day long, and she was so exhausted when the night came, she couldn’t stay awake for more than a few minutes when she got to bed. Oliver loved Thea, but she had been driving him crazy lately.

Placing his hands on her hips, he pulled Felicity closer to him with ease, so that she could feel the heat emanating from him as he sucked and licked at the tender skin of her neck, leaving small hickeys in a line from the back of her ear to her collarbone.

“You know, someone could walk in any moment now,” she whispered under her irregular breath, making little effort when her hands pushed his chest.

His lips trembled when he spoke, and his voice against her skin sent shivers down her spine, “And we’re going to be late for dinner.”

“So late,” she sighed, stretching her neck so he could get a better angle. She could feel his lips twitching in a smirk.

“The guests will probably find our behavior unacceptable,” his hands unzipped the top half of the tight pink dress she had chosen for the occasion after about an hour of trying on a million different ones.

“I really couldn’t care less about the guests,” she whispered playfully.

“Not even my mom?”

“You, mister,” she let out with a frown, pushing him back so he could see her, which left a cold sensation in the spot he had been licking seconds ago, just above her breasts, “are a serious buzzkill.”

He laughed, visibly amused with the comment, and immediately lowered one hand until it was just between her legs, only the fabric of the dress and her panties between his fingers and her wetness, “Let me make that up to you.”

“I think you’ll have to try really hard,” she teased, smothering a moan once he started rubbing his hand against her, the friction driving her crazy.

“I think,” he reached for the zipper once more and this time slid it all the way down masterfully, briefly interrupting their intense kisses so he could pull it over her head, "I’m perfectly fine with that." Oliver placed a hand on the small of her back and the other on her ass, grabbing her strongly. He rolled them so she was lying on the bed and he was on top of her, one hand caressing her clit, rubbing it over the fabric.

She was suddenly extremely thankful she had gone for a braless outfit once Oliver started sucking one of her hard nipples, taking as much skin as he could into his mouth and making small circles with his tongue around it, while caressing the other with his fingers, squeezing it a little bit too hard. The mix of sensations started to build a pressure inside her and she wasn’t sure how loud the moan was, but it was loud enough for Oliver to raise his head so their gaze could meet and she could see the wicked smile on his face. His blue eyes had grown darker with lust, and before he had the time to get back to sucking her, she ripped his white shirt open, almost certain a button or two had fallen. He didn’t complain though, not even when her nails dug deep into his flesh while he moved his hand faster.

“God, Oliver, take them off,” he wasn’t usually so obedient, but truth be told he didn’t think he could hold much longer without feeling her hot liquid in his fingers. With a violent pull, he ripped her panties, and it made her feel like it was payoff for the shirt. She didn’t mind it one bit.

His fingers dug into her creamy flesh and he almost came when he felt her, letting out a guttural growl, “You’re so wet. I haven’t even done anything yet and you’re so ready for me, Felicity.”

“Well, don’t just _stand_ there, then,” she complained, pulling him up for a breathless kiss and biting his lower lip so hard he had to step back for a little bit. He loved it when she was desperate for him.

Without any warning, Oliver inserted two fingers inside of her, hitting her right on the G-spot so quickly her back arched and she couldn’t help but let out an acute whine, “Yes, please, just like that! Oh my God, Oliver.” His fingers started moving faster, which she had no idea was even possible, while his thumb moved against her clit, spreading the moist arousal all over her. The liquid kept dripping out of her, staining the beautiful, quite expensive quilt, but it just made his already hard cock throb. Felicity could feel the bump in his pants on the skin of her leg. Because she couldn’t reach it with her hands, since Oliver’s body was keeping her still, she moved her leg upwards to rub it against him and the contact made him choke on her, the cough making his lips, tight against her nipple, tremble, and causing the vibrations to spread all over her body.

Felicity could feel the heat between her legs building up when Oliver started going down on her, first placing soft kisses on a line all the way from her breasts, across her belly, and stopping just inches away from her sex. Her body shivered with anticipation before his tongue made its way down until her clit, sucking on it and making her roll her eyes and dig her nails deeper into his flesh, sure it would leave a mark.

Her taste filled his whole mouth and _God_ , he could never get enough of it. Her body trembling beneath him and her loud moans sent him over the edge repeatedly, and the tight trousers against his cock were starting to make it too painful to handle. When he looked up, her eyes were locked on what he was doing, staring right at her wetness while he dug his fingers deeper and licked her clit. She must have realized he was not doing so well, because she was about to raise and reach down to him when a scream of pleasure left her mouth before she could do anything about it, “Oliver! Oliver, don’t stop.”

“Come for me, Felicity,” his tongue moved against her flesh as he spoke, making her orgasm build faster, “Come all over my fingers. I want to taste you, _God,_ I miss your taste so fucking much.”

“I’m coming! Oliver, _fuck-_ ,” she hummed, feeling the pressure building inside her whole body seconds right before coming. Oliver moved his fingers up and down alternately because he knew it drove her crazy and he could hear her cries of pleasure when he hit her deeper every single time until he reached her cervix, all the while moving his tongue rhythmically over her wet, sensitive flesh. She didn’t last long. Actually, she didn’t last at all. Seconds later the pressure was released as she rode his fingers frantically, screaming and moaning her orgasm out, her back arching and her eyes rolling as she enjoyed the sweet release. Felicity came hard into his mouth, all over his fingers, his face and the bed, crying out his name as she did. He kept moving his fingers as she came, matching the rhythm at which her own hips moved involuntarily, prolonging her release for as long as possible.

It took her a while to come down from where he had taken her, and the feeling of his trousers brushing over her recently stimulated area where his dick stood made her weak body tremble. Oliver climbed over her and forced his tongue into her mouth, giving her a taste of her own self. She never liked it very much, but the thought of him licking her while she came was erotic enough for her to handle the taste.

“We should go now,” she breathed out provokingly, and Oliver’s face was too priceless for her not to burst into laughing, “What?”

“I think we both know there is another situation _you_ should take care of,” he mumbled, rubbing his dick against her harder and staining his trousers with the liquid that was still coming out of her.

Felicity reached back blindly, her fingertips igniting a path toward his member slowly, “Is there?” She lingered in his sculptural abs, feeling his muscles beneath her skin, “I can’t seem to recall anything left to take care of…,” she teased as her fingers struggled with the buttons of his trousers, “Except maybe a room full of people downstairs waiting for us.”

“People who just heard you shout my name for whatever reason,” he teased back, but she could tell he couldn’t take it much longer. Felicity lowered his pants just enough so that he could be a little less tight inside the black boxers, rubbing her hand against his dick slowly and squeezing it through the fabric. He cursed, pressing himself against her hand as hard as he could.

Sometimes Oliver forgot how athletic his bride-to-be was. In a single, precise move she threw him on the bed and spread his legs wide open, sitting on his lap. Her heat directly on top of him, only a soft piece of fabric keeping them apart, made Oliver let out an involuntary moan, and she _loved_ the sounds he made as she drove him over the edge.

Quickly, she removed what was left of his trousers and lowered his boxers, his full length completely hardened inches from her. Wrapping her legs around his torso, Felicity lowered just enough for her tongue to lick gently at the top of his dick, savoring the pre-cum. Maybe he thought she hadn’t noticed how his hands grabbed the quilt a little harder, but _oh_ , she did. Without a word, she took him all in, her mouth filled with him all up to her throat, and Oliver whined so loud she thought he would come right then, “Fuck, Felicity, that feels so good. Don’t stop.”

She gained speed, taking him all in and then removing his member from her mouth, only to do it again, and again, and again, her eyes always locked on his. The sight of her pretty face sucking his dick was too much. He screamed her name repeatedly, hungrily grabbing her ass with a tight grip, which only made her go faster. Her tongue swirled around his length, her hands grabbing his weight so she wouldn’t lose balance, and those goddamn eyes staring him, making him emit sounds he had no control over whatsoever.

“Don’t stop! God, I’m close. I’m coming, Felicity, please don’t-,” but the sentence was cut short when she sucked him one more time, harder than before, and let go of him completely, “What the _fuck_ do you think you’re doing!?”

She didn’t say a word, but her smirk drove him crazy. Slowly, almost as if she was enjoying torturing him, which truly, she was, Felicity sat on his lap so that her soft wetness rubbed his cock without letting him in. With rhythmic wiggles of her hips, she rode his dick, her breath hitching once more as she felt another orgasm gaining form inside her. The moist was now all over his dick and her moans were getting louder and louder, leaving Oliver breathless. His dick throbbed so hard at the contact with her sex he no longer cared about who could possibly hear his cries.

“Felicity, please! Let me fuck you.”

“Oliver! I’m so close, I’m-,” she started increasing the speed, the friction against his hard member enough to make her whine loudly.

“God, don’t do this to me. Please.”

“I want to hear you beg,” she stated with an evil sparkle on her eyes, never slowing down.

“I want you to let me fuck you,” he started, but once she thought he was about to beg, he grabbed her hips and turned them so she was lying on the bed again, her chest arching from the pressure and heat running through her veins, and aligned himself with her entrance, “And I won’t have to beg.”

The feeling of his dick filling her up inside was a thousand times better than either of them remembered, “Felicity, fuck!” Without being able to control himself, Oliver thrust into her harder than he had ever before, making her scream his name. He loved how loud she could be for him. Knowing he wouldn’t last much longer, Oliver grabbed her slim waist and kneeled in front of her, lifting her body up so he could pull her to him. With every stroke, her hips collided with his more violently, his dick going deeper each time, both of them thrusting and moaning in perfect synchrony.

“Felicity, I can’t- I can't hold it anymore. I’m- fuck, I’m gonna come!”

“Come for me, Oliver, don’t stop!,” she begged, wiggling her entire body and meeting his every stroke, on the verge of cracking under the pressure once more. Her nails found the skin of his arms and dug into him deeper, the pain finally making him hit his orgasm once and for all. Felicity kept riding him moments after his own release, as he cried out her name and she felt him fill her up with hot, whitish liquid in violent, deep thrusts. It didn’t take her long to come one more time, this orgasm even better than before. Her walls clenching around his dick, the feeling of being full of his own cum, made her scream as loud as her lungs allowed her, her own liquid dripping from inside of her and getting Oliver’s legs and arms all dirty.

They made love, Oliver still deep inside her and never wanting to get out, for long after their eyes briefly lost sight and their entire bodies collapsed under a release they hadn’t experienced in a long time. Finally, still trying to catch his breath, Oliver pulled out of her and lied down by her side.

They stood silent for a moment, waiting for their strengths to slowly come back and still panting, until Felicity’s spoke, a lazy and raspy whisper, “We should really get going. We’re probably a bit late.”

“I think they’ll cut us some slack,” Oliver answered, turning his face to the side so he could contemplate the stunning woman lying next to him. She looked even more gorgeous now, half her hair setting loose from the bun, her naked chest still arching and biting her lip unconsciously as she stared right back at him, “So, no Cooper problems or League of Assassins related issues tonight?”

She giggled innocently, her body trembling next to his, “I think we can take the weekend off.”

“Are you sure?”

Felicity Smoak placed her hand on Oliver’s chest and leaned forward to kiss his lips softly, “I am marrying you tomorrow, Oliver Queen. That is the only thing I need to be sure of.”


End file.
